Ibuki's Miracle
by PurpleCobra247
Summary: Three years into her college life and Ibuki is going strong, but when an odd man puts her on the line on, what seemed like, an easy job, it turns out that she'll need more than her weapons to protect a little Miracle... *Edit: Raised the rating for obvious reasons. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1: An Amazing Discovery

Ibuki's Miracle

By: CrystalTigeress990

Rated M for adult language, sexual content, and violence

(Before you enjoy my first separate new story in like ages, I should let ya'll know that this will be in Ibuki's POV and any new characters belong to me. Enjoy!)

Chapter 1: An Amazing Discovery

Geez! I can't believe that I'm 22 years old and still have another year until I graduate from college. Time goes by when you least expect it, ya know. Being a ninja in college ain't a walk in the park. I got so many tests and training sessions that it's starting to get a bit ridiculous! And on top of all that, I'm really starting to miss my little Don-chan. Personally, he's like a little brother to me. He never fought with me and we always shared so many secrets together, but not having him sleep next to me felt kinda strange. Tee, hee! Believe it or not, I also missed his snoring, too. It never kept me awake or anything, but it's just funny hearing him snore. I practically spoiled him most of the time, too. God, I miss those days.

Today, though, I was just hanging out with some of my girls at the mall after I finished some ninja training for the day. We were at the food court, just talking, laughing, and having a good time. I managed to keep out of the conversation with my other three girls as I was staring at a cute picture of me and Don on my cell phone. I know that little guy misses me and I miss him, too. I remember the very first time I had to leave for Sarusuberi. That sad, sad look on his face was telling me not to leave, but I had no choice. Katherine, a blonde haired girl at my table, finally noticed my look of complete solitude and she snapped me outta my trance.

"Ibuki, what's wrong?" She spoke to me in a pure American female voice. "You don't look so hot today."

"I know, Kathy." I replied with a bored tone. "I just miss Don."

"Your pet tanuki?"

"Yeah. I've been thinking about him this whole time."

"Awww, I understand. I remember when I had to give away my pet dog after he was too sick to live. They actually had to put him down and I was just devastated for the next three years. I turned out okay in the end."

"It's not the same! I just want Don by my side again. We've been together since I was fourteen."

"Wow."

I ended the conversation right there, not wanting to be bothered again for the rest of the day. I know there are other tanukis out there, but Don is the only one I cared about. If there were other species of tanukis all over the place somewhere else, then wow. I… would… be… speechless.

Three weeks later, it was the same ol' routine in college as usual… until this announcement came up from the Dean through the PA system:

"Would Ibuki please come to the main office immediately? I repeat, Ibuki… please come to the office immediately. It's urgent!"

"What the hell…?" I muttered to myself as I looked at the speaker from my desk. My Biology teacher, Mr. Jorgensen, nodded in agreement to the announcement before he said to me:

"You better get moving, Ibuki. I have a feeling that you might need to pack everything for this."

"What?" I asked him. I was still confused. My professor was really expecting me to go away on a trip or something. I didn't say another word when he gave me that look that said 'You better get your ass moving or I'll suspend you'. I reluctantly obeyed him and packed up everything in my backpack before I headed out for the office, leaving the rest of the class watching me with just as much confusion.

When I finally got to the office, I slowly opened the door, only because I still wasn't quite as sure as to what's going on. I finally open it all the way and I see a tall elderly man that seemed to be in his nineties, but he was a little _too _fit for an old geezer AND he had the biggest pair of mechanical arms I've ever seen in my life. They weren't too big, but big enough to scare the hell outta me.

"Ah, Ibuki, you finally made it." Dean Rogers greeted as I got it and took a seat. I was still confused, but I remained serious on my face. "As you can see, we have a guest."

"You're Ibuki, eh?" The old man asked me in a pretty sweet elder's voice. I couldn't help but smile as my response as I nodded. "Heh, heh… you young girls ta-day, I swear. Seems like the older I get, the cuter ya'll get. My name is Shaundo Wellason. I came all da way here from Atlanta, Georgia to ask ya a huge favor."

"Atlanta?" I finally spoke. "Whoa! You got pretty far to get here… and all just to find me. What's the favor?"

"It's… kinda hard to explain right now, but I can tell ya this for da time being. I'm a professional breeder of Tanuki Americans."

"Tanuki… AMERICANS?" Was he serious? I didn't think there could be various species of one of my favorite animals. "Really?"

"Yeah. I have over 900 million of 'em livin' in my humble sanctuary."

"Oh, wow!"

"That is amazing." Dean Rogers agreed. "How did you even find just one?"

"Heh, heh… my little secret. Only Ibuki will know once we start leavin'. I've got a limo outside waitin'. All you need to do is pack up ya stuff, Ibuki. I have a feeling that you just might be livin' wit me for a while."

"If you say so…" I replied as I stood up, but… I was a little scared to shake hands with him. I just waved and went on my way to pack up, but before I could reach the door…

"Bring Don with ya. I have a feelin' dat he may be useful in our mission."

"You're calling it a mission now?" I dared to ask him. Shaundo frowned.

"It's mo' like dat, yeah."

"I have a bad feeling about this."

Thirty minutes later, on the down the stairs to Shaundo's limo…

"Now dat da dean is outta our sights, I can explain everything you need ta know." Shaundo started as he was helping me carry my bags to the car next to me. I carried the lighter stuff. "First, let me explain how I started all dis. My career as a breeder came up as a huge change in my life. When I found the very first Tanuki American in my backyard, it was a female and I figured I could get her to bring even more to life. It happened so fast… I was thrilled. Pretty soon, the government wanted me to start a sanctuary and I did with all the pride I could. People called 'em either Tanuki Americans or American Tanukis. Either way ya call it, they're all da same."

"Wow." I replied, listening to every word. I was already fascinated by this whole American Tanuki thing and I wasn't about to deny it now. "So, do you really just keep them all to yourself or do you put them up for adoption?"

"I tried puttin' 'em up fo' adoption, but nobody would visit fo' dat. They would just come and visit just to see 'em." What? Are you kidding me? I got one as a pet, for Pete's sake! They seem like good pets to me. "Da reason why was explained to me through the mouth of a cute lil' boy named Toby. He said and I quote: 'We don't wanna raise these pretty animals. They deserve to be free and we wanna keep them that way.' I was blown away by that statement, especially since it came from a six year old boy."

"Awww, that's cute." I nodded in understanding this time. I was about to get all serious and whatnot and this came up. Whew! Good thing I gave him a chance. "So, what exactly do American Tanukis look like? Judging by what Toby said, they must be beautiful."

"SORRY, I'M LATE!" A comedic male voice called out. We looked towards the source and I made the biggest smile in my life. "(huff, huff) Damn traffic… wouldn't… give me… a chance to… to dodge."

"Hey, Don-chan." I started as I just placed some of my bags in the trunk of the limousine. I started leaking a few happy tears and Don saw them, due to that cute smile on his face. I missed him so much and I finally got to see him after, what seemed like, forever. "It's so good to see you."

"Don't cry, Ibuki." Don ran up to me and gave me a hug after he leaped onto me. "I've missed ya, too. How old are ya now? 22?"

"Yeah."

"Sheesh! Where did those years go, huh?"

"Who knows?"

"It's good ta see ya, Don." Shaundo came in, nearly startling my little bro. "The name's Shaundo. I need you and Ibuki ta help me out with a huge mission. I was just about to tell her what American Tanukis look like."

"AMERICAN Tanukis now?!" Don asked with shock. "Didn't think I had American cousins."

"Oh, but ya do, and ya'll are gonna learn all about 'em shortly. Hop in. It's gonna be a long ride to the airport."

"Airport?"

"We're going to Atlanta, Georgia." I told my pet with sarcasm.

"…yipe."

A few minutes later, in the limo ride to the airport…

"Ohhh, now I understand the whole situation." Don replied after Shaundo just repeated what he explained to me. "So, now can ya tell us what these Tanuki Americans look like?"

"You know 'bout Angora rabbits, right?" Shaundo started. Don and I both nodded. "Well, they have the same long hair as those rabbits, only longer since they're at the same size as our typical lop-eared rabbit. They also come in a wide variety of colors, like gray tabby, orange tabby, tortoiseshell, and some are even in the same traditional pattern as a foxhound. In other words, yes. They are beautiful."

"They have hair, huh?"

"What's the difference?" I dared to ask them. Shaundo chuckled.

"Figured you would ask, Ibuki." He commented. He made me feel stupid just now. "Hair on an animal is more perfect for those people who are allergic to 'em. They're hypoallergenic. Fur leaves more dander and they cause allergies."

"Oh. I knew that."

"Uh, huh… sure."

"So, since they're so pretty and they're being raised to be free in your sanctuary, what the hell seems to be the problem?!" I mean, come on! All of this positive stuff I've been hearing. Doesn't seem like there's a problem to me.

"It's a big issue, Ibuki! Ya see, da good news 'bout all this is that 99 percent of the entire state of Georgia loves these gorgeous animals. Da bad news is that… the one percent… wants 'em all dead."

"…say what?!" Don and I exclaimed together.

"Yep… and I ain't lying, neither."

"Who would want those marvelous cousins of mine dead, huh?!" Don asked with anger.

"A group of 20 men and their dogs… all 32 of 'em. The reason why… I can't even get it outta da police. They have no idea what the motive is either, but I can take a wild guess."

"Which is…?"

"You'll see when we get there. Trust me… you'll understand why."

Uh, oh. Something tells me that something small, but huge is the cause of the chaos. I know that doesn't make any sense, but believe me. Being a ninja who's been around some people in the same way, being small and huge all at once, does play some part in the advantage factory.

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2: Meeting the Miracle

Chapter 2: Meeting the Miracle

Okay, now. We've gotten the whole situation from Shaundo. Apparently, there's a second species of tanuki called Tanuki Americans and they are a bit smaller than Don and all of his Japanese cousins, brothers, and sisters. They have hair instead of fur, which means paradise for a person with allergies, and they come in crazy colors. So far, I'm lovin' these new tanukis. I just hope they're not in any crazy personalities. Being in America isn't new to me, since I've fought with Alex and Ken, but being in Atlanta will be a first for me.

Anyway, Shaundo, Don, and I finally got on the plane, with Don-chan going in the cargo bay with the other animals, and Shaundo managed to get a seat, but somehow…

"…I-can't-sit-down." I muttered with sarcasm… because I ultimately expected this to happen, due to his large mechanical arms.

"Ya can't?" Shaundo asked me as he examined his space. "Oh, 'cuse me, sweetheart." After making that statement, I saw what I never expected him to do: He shortened his arms to the point where they looked like… well… the same length as the average human arms. "Heh, heh… sometimes, my arms can get reckless."

"I…uh…I see that." I finally got to sit next to him and I was in heaven. The seat had heat and massage and I never wanted to get up at that point. "Ahhhhhh, this is awesome. It's been a while since I've been on a plane."

"Clearly. Now, about the 20 men…"

"Yeah, what about them? What gives?" My ears were open and my eyes were on him. I was ready to help him anyway I can.

"Well, they obviously call themselves 'The Tanuki Kickers'. They don't literally 'kick' my precious pets, but they have murdered so many of them."

"WHAT? Really?" Oh, no…

"Yep. Do da math." Great… math. Yeech. "There are 20 men. Most of the murders go to their total of 32 dogs. Ignore the number of men and focus on the dogs. Now, each dog has killed 7000 Tanuki Americans. How many murders are there total?"

Hmmm… 7000 kills divided by 32 dogs … ugh! I always hated division, but since I'm a smart-ass ninja…

"About 219 kills per dog."

"Exactly." Holy crap! I got it right. I do admit it… my math is a bit rusty.

"Those Tanuki Americans must multiply like rabbits, too!"

"Yep and I ain't complainin'." Aww, gee. No kiddin'.

"So, with that being the case, what's the mission?"

"Clearly, da police are scared to face these guys and their dogs. They're all extremely dangerous and violent, so they've appointed me as the protector of one Tanuki American. Once they see you, they'll give that role to you, only you have to do their job."

"They need me to arrest them?"

"No, they need ya… to kill 'em."

"Kill? Whoa! Wait a minute! How come they can't kill 'em? I mean, I know I'm a trained assassin and all, but-"

"They want every last one of those men AND their dogs dead, but since they know that those men will be forced to kill the ENTIRE force... well… ya gets da picture. Not too hard, right?"

"I guess, but I still wanna see what I have to protect before I decide on this mission."

"Oh, you'll say 'yes', girl. Trust me… once you see the reason behind this, you'll definitely say you'll do it."

So far, he was sounding very convincing. Wait until Don-chan hears about it. He'll probably agree with me and say that he needs to meet the true problem… if it IS a problem…

Another long three hours later, we finally made it to Atlanta and there was already a limo driver waiting for us at the exit. We got to him and the car before we got inside. As we waited for him to pack in our stuff, I just explained everything to Don and, just as I expected, he agreed.

"All this for one Tanuki American, huh?" He asked Shaundo, who nodded in response. "Well, that does depend on it."

"Ya'll will love him then." Shaundo stayed confident about this. "His name was Anthony."

"You remember all those names, huh?"

"Yep. These arms gave me some pretty damn good memory enhancers, so I can remember e'ry single name."

"Wow."

"Wait a minute." I came in. "Did you say his name WAS Anthony?"

"Yeah, but you'll see why, won't ya? We're just ten miles away from my place. Burbon, are ya done packin'?"

"Yes, sir." The driver replied as he got in the limo. "Are you ready?"

"Let's get to my Tanuki American Sanctuary." And we did so. During the ride, though, I started to keep this question to myself: Why the hell do I have this sudden feeling that Anthony's an inspiration to someone? Don sensed my question somehow and he answered it.

"Maybe he is an inspiration to somebody in this city." He said to me. I looked down at him in my lap with shock. Shaundo didn't even listen. He was busy listening to some music on his CD player. "Something must've happened to him."

"Maybe, but like Shaundo said, we'll see." I replied with honesty. "In the meantime, do you think those Tanuki Americans will treat you like a celebrity?"

"Probably. They've never seen a tanuki like me before. I'm sure they'll all be riveted."

Fifteen minutes later…

WHOOOOOAH! Holy crap! I see his regular house when we get out, but behind it… was about a good 19,000 acres of his sanctuary. Once we stepped a bit closer to the house, Shaundo grabbed my shoulder and said with confidence:

"Welcome to my house."

Enough said there.

"This is big enough for 900 million of my American cousins." Don commented. "I'll… stick with you guys in the tour."

"Awww, no you don't." I protested as I took Don off my back. "Go ahead and meet your cousins while Shaundo gives me a tour. Let's see if you'll become an overnight celebrity." I placed him on the ground after I said this and he groaned with annoyance before he reluctantly headed for the biggest backyard I've ever seen. "He'll be fine. He never wants to be too far away from me nowadays."

"And you couldn't help dat back in college in Japan, huh?" Shaundo added as he led me inside. I shook my head. I was just too fascinated by this place. "I thought so. Now, as ya can see, I'm a rich man. The government in this city pays me good money to protect these magnificent creatures. I have this huge mansion and an even bigger backyard. I gotta let 'em run free and that's exactly was Toby was talk'n 'bout."

"Ahhh, of course. So, where's Anthony?"

"Eh, heh, heh… still callin' him Anthony, eh?"

"What is his name, then?"

"Well, follow me and I'll tell ya." He was leading me to a door decorated in blue with yellow stars all over it. It made me smile instantly as he continued. "Ya see dis here do'? This is where he is. I should tell ya to keep quiet when I open dis do'. He's sleepin'." He took a gentle hold of the doorknob and slowly opened the door to reveal a pretty average room for a toddler, but in the crib, I didn't see a human baby. I saw the cutest baby Tanuki American I've ever seen. He was in a cute Tortoiseshell cat design on his long hair all over his body and I saw cute little rounded ears on top of his head, but… he had a tail at the same size as Don's… that was made entirely out of the same metal as Shaundo's arms. "Ibuki… here's Miracle."

"Miracle? That's his new name?"

"That's his REAL name, yes. I renamed him Miracle because of what he and I have been through. It's a long story. I'll tell ya 'bout it when he wakes up. Ya wanna see da rest of da place?" Does it look like I wanna see the rest of the place? I wanna meet Miracle. He's cuter than Don… uh… not that I don't love Don anymore or anything like that.

"Uh… I'd love to, but I really wanna meet Miracle. He looks like someone Don-chan could get extremely jealous with."

"Heh, heh… No kiddin'. You can't meet him right now, though. He had a rough night last night. Another nightmare kept him from getting some sleep."

"Awww, poor thing." I wanted to meet him so bad, but I guess I can take it. He sure does look like he's been having a nightmare. "Okay, I'll meet him later."

About an hour and some change later…

We were just about done with the whole tour of his huge mansion. He sure does live the life of a rich person and I was about to be a part of it with Don soon. Speaking of him…

…yep, he's a celebrity. He just got back in the house and approached me and Shaundo in the living room with about 50 of those beautiful Tanuki Americans. Shaundo chuckled when he saw this while I just shook my head with humor and a smile.

"I knew it." I started with sarcasm. "Look at you. Already gaining attention."

"I guess they've never seen a tanuki like me before." Don agreed. "Although… eh, heh, heh… I kinda like this attention I'm gettin'. Back in Japan, you were pretty much the only one who gave me this treatment."

"Yeah, pretty much." After I said this, a beeping sound was heard from somewhere in this room. I looked over at Shaundo and he looked at his left wrist. I couldn't quite see what he was looking at, but I took a good guess anyway. "Whoa… is that an alarm clock?"

"Yep." Shaundo replied. "It's just about time for Miracle to wake up. I'll go get him. Ya'll wait here." I smiled from ear to ear when he got up after I leaned back in the chair. Don gave me a pretty smug look, but it didn't scare me.

"Why are you so happy all of a sudden?" He asked me, still having his American cousins sitting with him like good pets.

"We're gonna meet the cause of all this drama. I already saw him and he's just so adorable!"

"His name is Miracle, huh? Wait a minute! Wasn't that Anthony?"

"Yeah. There's a good reason why his name changed to Miracle…" Before I could finish, I heard the cutest high pitched squeal haven't heard in a while… since Don was a baby back when I was fourteen to be precise. I looked over at where the sound came from and there was Miracle, wide awake, in Shaundo's right hand. He was so tiny compared to him, but when he handed him to me…

…awwww! He was at the same size as a ferret… almost. I saw his eyes now and they were a very pretty cobalt blue and pretty big for his size, but I didn't care. They made him so adorable. He wasn't scare of me and Don at all.

"Awww, wouldja lookie here?" Shaundo started. "He likes ya'll already. He's usually shy 'bout meetin' new people. Now dat ya'll are meetin' Miracle, will ya accept da mission?"

"Definitely!" Don cheered. "He's like a little brother to me!"

"Heh, heh! What! You ain't jealous?"

"Are you kiddin'? Why would I be jealous of someone like him?"

"'Nough said, there. 'Buki, what do ya think, eh?"

"Shaundo, he's so cute." I replied with honesty as I brought Miracle closer to me for a hug and he nuzzled his soft head between my breasts, right in my tank top. "Ohhh, my gosh! I just can't get enough of him! He's just so irresistible! So… why is he the cause of all this?"

"(sigh)…perfect time to explain the whole reason." Shaundo paused as he reclaimed his seat next to me. "Now, there's a good explanation for the mechanics on my arms and Miracle's tail. The leader of The Tanuki Kickers… his name is Mark. Every member of those rebels likes to keep their names as anonymous as possible. They don't want too much info comin' out. Now, Mark is the deadliest of 'em all. He basically saw me and Miracle walkin' 'round da city one day and he got pretty senseless. He chopped off my arms with a meat cleaver while he allowed his Rottweiler, Stone, to rip off Miracle's tail with his teeth! My part time job as a mechanic paid off very well, thanks to some old friends of mine and well… you can clearly see why."

"Yeah, I see… but wow! What was the motive?"

"He wanted to kill me and Miracle so he could claim my mansion as his own and turn it into a fur coat factory."

"Oh, no…" What a bastard! I can't wait to kick Mark's ass. He'll be sorry for messing with Miracle. He's so… heartless and… evil… and hate those kind of people more than I hate injustice.

"Fortunately, the police and the government worked together to develop, what they call, 'The Miracle Badge of Protection'. Dis means that as long as Miracle in somewhere on you, whether it's in your jeans pocket, yo' backpack, or even in yo' shirt, a huge fine will be placed on the person who touches him, excludin' you, of course. They want to protect Miracle just as much as you do."

"Define 'huge' on the fine." Didn't that sound weird just now? Heh, heh… lawl.

"200,000 dollars."

WHOA! HOLY CRAP! "…wow."

"Believe it… and everyone in Georgia, includin' The Tanuki Kickers… knows about it and dares not to break it. It hasn't been violated yet so far and it never will, 'specially since you and Don are here."

"Sheesh!" Don muttered. "What a doozy job we got here."

"You said it, Don…" I agreed. "…but I'll do whatever it takes to bring those 20 bastards to justice. I'm gonna protect Miracle with my life, if I have to." And I really meant it.

"Dat's the spirit! I knew you would come through." Shaundo cheered. "You have to meet up with the Sheriff tomorrow mornin' to confirm the mission, so you can get started on your personal executions. You can ask him any question you might have 'bout all dis."

"Okay. So, I guess our baby-sitting starts now."

"Yep… and take yo' time. Miracle is already bondin' wit ya. In da meantime, how 'bout I order some pizza fo' dinna tanight? On me?"

"AWESOME!"

Ohhh, yeah. Me and Don get there and already… we're treated to something other than rice for a change! And so, my mission hasn't started just yet, but meeting Miracle was like meeting my first boyfriend, who I'm keeping as nameless… tee, hee. I can tell you this, though… I'll probably leave him for safety because… hee, hee… let's face it…

…I'm in love with Miracle right now.

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3: Mission 1:  Frankie

Chapter 3: Mission 1 – Frankie

My first morning in America since being in college… aaaah, yeah… it feels good. I woke up in a very expensive bed that you wouldn't dare to "play around" in and cute lil' Miracle was sleeping right next to me on the nightstand on my left side while Don-chan was laid on his back with drool all over his pillow, like he's always been sleeping. His snoring never bothered me at all and I still managed to wake up with a smile. I looked over at Miracle and he was still sleeping. He just looked too adorable sleeping like that… all curled up in a ball and everything. I didn't wanna disturb him.

As I was watching him sleep, as if he was on TV, I started to think about how crazy this mission might turn out. I had to go out there and kill 20 men and all 32 of their dogs on my own terms, but the downside is… I have to do it by myself without the police. Personally, that's no biggie for me, but when it comes to Miracle's safety, I just have to do this. This expensive protection law they placed on him should protect me from any harm, but in case that doesn't help… well… they'll have Don to be scared of later.

Anyway, after about three more minutes, I decided to carefully pick up the sleeping Miracle and he stayed asleep as I cuddled him between my breasts, which made him unconsciously snuggle his head even further, feeling the comfort from it. I just couldn't get my smile off my face after seeing this and I leaned my head down towards him for even more love and somehow, this woke Don-chan up.

"Uh… morning, Ibuki." Don started. I heard him, but didn't make eye contact.

"Hey, Don-chan." I replied. "You're not getting jealous, are you? Seeing me cuddling Miracle like this…"

"No! I told you! We Tanukis gotta stick together! Nobody's gettin' jealous of anybody!"

"Just thought I ask… (sigh)… I wonder what he's dreaming about."

"Heh, heh… me, too." Don carefully got on my lap with his front paws and watched the sleeping Miracle very closely. "He does look like he's having one hell of a good dream. I wouldn't wake him up."

"I know, right?" Right after I said this, I started smelling something quite tasty. I started sniffing like a dog and it smelled like bacon was cooking with some pancakes and… oh, my God! I smell coffee! I'm excited about that because I remember Elena treating me to some when I was depressed back in my high school days. Despite my depression, I actually enjoyed the coffee. I'm finally able to drink something other than tea for once! YES!

About five more minutes into smelling that delicious aroma of an All-American breakfast, Shaundo's voice called out from downstairs:

"IBUKI! DON! BREAKFAST!"

Hearing this made Miracle wake up within milliseconds afterwards and he squealed at the very top of his lungs before he sprung himself out of my arms and I gasped with wide eyes as I saw that his iron tail transformed into a propeller right before my eyes before he flew off like a speeding bullet towards the kitchen. This left Don-chan and I… speechless.

We… uh… really weren't expecting that. There's gotta be more mechanical gizmos hidden in that tail of his and I was already anxious to know. After three minutes of silence, Shaundo called out again.

"IBUKI! DON! DIS FOOD AIN'T GOIN' NOWHERE! GET YOUR ASSES DOWN HERE BEFO' IT GETS COLD!"

"Oh-uh… COMING!" I babbled before calling back to him. I shook my head to snap out of it as I found my pajama shorts on the floor and slipped them on and got outta bed. Don was still frozen, but I snapped my fingers to get him out of his dazed stare. "C'mon, Don! Food's ready!"

"Uh… okay." My pet tanuki babbled before he leaped out of his bed and followed me downstairs.

Several minutes later, in the kitchen…

I was sitting right across from Shaundo while I was eating a delicious dish of whole wheat pancakes, turkey bacon, and hash browns. I was able to see the multitudes of Tanuki Americans eating their breakfast bowls of dog food outside and they were all pretty well-behaved. Don was sitting in a high chair next to me with his small plate of just pancakes while Miracle was on the tray of that chair, sharing the pancakes with Don-chan. I watched with strong interest as I saw that Miracle was, once again, putting his handy dandy tail into good use. He simply turned it into a pretty thick skewer and used it as a knife to slice a piece of pancake and then stick it on there before he ate it. Shaundo saw how observant I was and chuckled, making me turn towards him after I've been watching Miracle ever since we just started eating.

"What's so funny?" I asked him nicely, keeping a peaceful smile on my face.

"I see you like Miracle's multi-taskin' tail." Shaundo replied. "Heh, heh! Just like my arms, that tail can transform into anythang dat lil' Miracle wants. His blueprints fo' da tail is a bit complex and it actually took me fifteen years to think of the robotic limb."

"Why?"

"Didn't think I had a use fo' it, that's all. When Mark and Stone attacked us dat day, dat flashback of me buildin' those blueprints came back ta me and I figured I could use 'em for Miracle's tail. It worked to perfection, but it took da poor lil' guy seven months befo' he finally got comfortable."

"I can imagine. Did it hurt for you?"

"Eh, a lil' bit. Afta a while, I got used to my arms. I just didn't wanna be the stereotypical old man in a wheelchair. Ya feel me?"

"Tee, hee! Yeah, I got it. So… hold on…" I paused as I took a quick sip of my coffee and it was brewed just right. Damn, I love a good cup of joe! "…mmmm! Now that is some fresh mountain grown coffee. Anyway, so… about this mission… will they have a list for me or something?"

"You'll have a map AND a list. You're gonna need all da help ya can get, if ya wanna seek out and destroy those bastards and their damn mutts! You'll have ta meet up with da sheriff ta get da map, but I've got the list right here." Shaundo paused his eating for a second before he pulled out a pretty good list and slid it to me on the table and I looked at it as he continued. "They're listing in the order of their difficulty level, having da first fella being the easiest."

"Say-what?" Is he serious? Frankie? Hmmm… he sounds like a punk. "No wonder. There's a 1 next to his name on the other side, too."

"Yep. Ya gotta watch out fo' da tougher ones though. They don't play, girl!"

"Don't worry. I can handle a bunch of dumb-asses. Piece of cake."

"I knew I could count on ya. Now, if ya really value yo' protection, even da sheriff is suggestin' dat ya place Miracle in the best place on you to protect you. He can't be harmed out there because of the pricey law. So, where do ya think Miracle should be snuggled in?"

"Hmmmm…" I… had a good hunch…

An hour and twenty minutes of a shower later…

I was dressed in a yellow tank top with matching jeans, belt, sneakers, and even Don volunteered to highlight my hair to make it match. It's mostly a blonde-bronze kind of shading on my famous ponytails, but it still looked nice. I just placed on my matching watch on my right wrist and a few seconds later, I picked up Miracle from my dresser and carefully stuffed him inside my tank top between my breasts until only his front paws and head were visible. I checked it out in the mirror and smiled. This was the best place to put him and… brrrr! His iron tail's kinda cold on my bare chest, but I didn't care. All that mattered right now… was that Miracle was as snug as a bug in a rug. Don chuckled at this scene in the mirror before us and I couldn't help but laugh with him as I saw the look on lil' Miracle's face. He was happier than I was when I graduated from high school.

"Between your boobs, huh?" Don muttered with humor between laughs. "That's an excellent place. Yeeeeeah, baby…"

"Oh, hush!" I spat back to him with just as much humor. "Miracle seems to like this treatment. This is safest place to put him."

"I guess putting on your backpack is outta the question, then, huh?"

"Yeah… I'm gonna need something else to carry some supplies."

"No need fo' any…" Shaundo came in through the doorway. "…at least, not your own. Once you get to the 2nd precinct, which is only three miles from here, they'll give you e'rythang you need."

"Good. By the way, what do you think of Miracle stuffed in my shirt?"

"Heh, heh, heh. That's kinda hot fo' 'im, but in a serious note, dat is a great protection spot."

"Thanks. Well… I'm off. Do you have a car I can use?"

"I got a nice one in my outdo' garage. Here's the remote fo' it." Shaundo tossed me a small car remote and I caught it perfectly. "It's my show-stoppa for some nights on da town, but I'll let ya drive it while you're here. If you kill dis mission wit flyin' colors, I just might let ya take dat car home wit ya when it's over." Say WHAAAAAAAAT?

"Are you serious?" Don exclaimed. "You'll let Ibuki have a car that you barely use?"

"I can't drive no mo'… not wit dese arms here. It's the only car I got, but I'm-a let ya'll have it... IF you succeed only."

"You got it!" I exclaimed with excitement. I personally didn't care what kind of car it was, but I just desperately needed one… BAD!

A few minutes later, out in the front yard near the outdoor garage…

I opened the garage door with a small switch next to it and it opened up to reveal a super cool white, blue, and black car with pure laser-powered LED headlights and taillights and it was shiny all over. I was speechless, but Don spoke for me.

"Whoah! HEY! This is an i8! It hasn't even been made in public yet!" Don exclaimed. "No wonder Shaundo called it a show stopper. Yeech… It's more like a neck breaker, too."

"Hell, yeah…" I muttered in a dreamy voice. "This car… is… totally… AWESOME! This car will make me the envy of Sarusuberi! Let's get to the precinct and get to work, Don-chan! I want this car… and Miracle…" I started to trail off when I said Miracle's name and that made the little guy look up at me with curiosity. I didn't even look at him, but I smiled to prove my point and he squealed in response. Don smiled with me as he heard me trail away, but never said a word as we all got in the car, having Miracle hop outta my shirt and onto the dashboard, ready for the mission to finally begin… the mission to save his own race of the rarest tanukis on the planet.

A few moments later, after the smoothest car ride ever…

We finally made it to the 2nd precinct and there were already four police officers waiting for us outside the main entrance. They gasped at the car as we got out and I smiled at them for it. Don volunteered to climb up to my chest with Miracle on top of his head and he allowed the cute little guy to hop back between by beautiful boobs and get comfortable before I approached the group of officers.

"Are you Ibuki?" One of the officers asked me in a sweet elder's voice. I nodded in response before shaking a hand.

"Yes, sir." I replied politely. "I'm here with my pet tanuki, Don… and Miracle in my shirt."

"There he is… the cute lil' fella. I would pet ya, but I don't wanna pay millions of dollars."

"Whoa…" Was this protection law THAT powerful? Sheesh! I thought it was just a law to protect him from harm. I guess that makes sense. "Anyway, Shaundo told me to come here because your sheriff has a map for me."

"Yes, he's right in that first door on your right when you walk in. He's been waiting for you."

"Thanks." I continued on my way into the building and spotted the office right there next to me after only five steps. When I approached the door, the kind sheriff opened it for me and that surprised me. He really was expecting me. "Oh! Hi!"

"Hello, Ibuki." The sheriff replied in a pretty handsome voice. "My name is Sheriff Winderleer. Come on in. Have a seat." I did so and Don got a little too comfortable next to my feet as well. I ignored that as Sheriff Winderleer continued. "Now, you're probably here for the map to help you find and kill those 20 men and their 32 dogs."

"Yeah. I already got the list of 'em from Shaundo." I pulled out the list from one of my back jean pockets and handed it to Winderleer. "I was told that they're listed from easiest to hardest."

"Yep, he told you correctly. Frankie is your first target and he's as easy to execute as a child's jigsaw puzzle. More importantly, though, the rest of these men do mean business… especially Mark and his Rottweiler named Stone. He's the leader of The Tanuki Kickers."

"So, I've heard." Miracle squealed in agreement and this got Winderleer's attention as he smiled at the little guy between by boobs. "Tee, hee! Miracle agrees, too."

"This little guy is the only cause of all this trouble, huh? What? They placed a pretty big bet on his head?"

"Probably, but they won't get to him anytime soon."

"HA, HA! That's what I like to hear! Now, we will only watch you to observe your techniques. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Okay. That's cool. I am a highly dangerous assassin."

"I see. I know you can fight well, even with Miracle in your shirt. Here's your list back…" Winderleer paused as he handed me my list. A few seconds later… "And here's your map." …there ya go. I got the map. I gave it to Don and he got the idea right then and there. He'll be responsible for directing me to these dangerous men and their dogs. "Ibuki, there is one more matter at hand about this whole mission…"

"What is it?"

"One of the men, Velocity, is actually against the whole team and doesn't wish to fight. Why his difficulty level is at 8 is what I'm not sure of, but he should be easy nonetheless. We only rate these boys' difficulty level based on how dangerous they were towards us."

"I gotcha. Unfortunately, he's man number 17. It's gonna be a while until it's time to go after him." I only hope he's not cute. I don't wanna cheat on my boyfriend. "Anymore last minute warnings?"

"Nope, that's it. I wish ya good luck in takin' care of Frankie. His location is quite crazy."

"You can count on us, Sheriff!" I… was a bit cheesy on that one. My bad…

A few minutes later, back in this super cool car…

Frankie's place was indeed pretty crazy. He was hiding in a deserted coffee shop. It didn't look too rundown, but it was still a pretty bad place to hide. Having this i8 park in its parking lot made the whole building seem like a dump and I just couldn't wait to see that look on Frankie's face when he sees me and this car.

I had my wireless headset in check and was ready for Shaundo to back me up on any hints on how to kick Frankie's ass. I beeped in and he immediately started the mission for me.

"Okay, Ibuki." He started in my right ear. "You must be at Frankie's hideaway."

"Yeah." I replied as me, Miracle, and Don waited for more instructions in the car. "So, how do we beat this guy?"

"Since he's the easiest, the only way to kill him… is to make him wish he was dead. The police have tried this so many times, but failed because they weren't dramatic enough. You look like a girl dat knows how ta persuade someone in the same way as a professional actress."

"Well, I have persuaded Don into thinking that a shark was in the lake back at the Glade once. He ended up just splashing around for nothing for fifteen minutes."

"WHAT?" Don screamed, making me giggle. I loved messing with my little bro. "It was fake? You bitch…"

"Likewise."

"Heh, heh… you sneaky girl." Shaundo added with humor. "Anyways, you get da picture on how to kill Frankie?"

"Basically, I just have to convince him to commit suicide, right?"

"Yeah. Not too hard, right?"

"Sounds a bit harsh. I don't want him to kill himself. I want him to die with dignity."

"Really?" Yeah, that shocked him… and me too. Hm! Why does that turn me on for some reason? I mean, literally… my panties are getting wet right now. What the hell? "Huh! I guess we both think on totally different levels."

"Yeah. Trust me on this. If he's gonna die, he's gonna die proudly. I give you an update on the fight later. Ibuki-chan out!" After a clicked out, I finally got my panties dry again before Don, Miracle, and I got out of the car and headed inside. Don got on my back for security, but he was never scared.

When we finally got inside, it was just as we suspected. The short man was sitting in a chair with his arms crossed and it seemed like he was expecting us. When we got a little closer, we saw this cute little Chihuahua sitting next to him and he growled at Don when he landed on the cold stone floor. Don growled back, but I was more focused on Frankie. I got a little closer to him and he kinda scared me when he started to speak.

"Heh, heh, heh…" He chuckled in a comedic voice… humph! Like he expects me to laugh with him. In his dreams! "Well, hey there, Ibuki. I've been expectin' ya, babe."

"The only thing you're expecting in a thousand knocks to your thick-ass skull!" I got into my famous fighting stance as I said this, which got Miracle to snuggle even deeper within my tank top for protection. "C'mon, Frankie! Let's do this!"

"Humph! What's da point in fighting? All you're gonna do is kill me. Why not just get to it?"

"…huh?" I lowered my defenses with a confused look on my face as well as Miracle's as he tilted his head with curiosity. Don and Frankie's Chihuahua were still showing teeth at each other, but I was able to ignore it as I continued to stare at Frankie with shock and confusion. "What are you saying?"

"You came here to kill me right? For killin' all those Tanuki Americans with the Tanuki Kickers…"

"Ye… yeah." I really don't like where this is going. "Do you really wanna die?"

"I've done too much. You came here to let me kill myself instead."

"No! I'll kill you now, if that's what you want."

"…well… what are ya waitin' for?"

"…" Aw, man. All of a sudden, I started feeling a bit sick to my stomach.

Fifteen minutes later, back at Shaundo's place…

"What the hell?" Don exclaimed as he continued to enjoy his Chihuahua meat. As for me, I was literally puking in a trash can on the couch. I couldn't believe he allowed me to slice off every limb on him: his arms, legs, feet, hands, and even his head! A simple stab in the heart would've done it, but he wanted to make sure he was dead for real. EWWWWW! I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE I DID THAT! Ahem… anyway, back to what Don was saying to Shaundo and Miracle, who was in the elder's lap… "The list said that Frankie was the easiest… and that sure was pretty quick, but not so painless."

"Told ya so." Shaundo replied while he gave Miracle a gentle massage between his ears, making him purr with satisfaction. "Frankie was only easy because he was the only member of The Tanuki Kickers that actually wanted to die fo' his actions. The police couldn't figure out why."

"Yeech! Well, we know now. He must've heard about Miracle and how much he's changed society for a while."

"That is probably da case. Well, the easiest is outta da way fo' now. Tomorrow, though, we go after our next criminal and his pet Bull Mastiff: Valoff and the dog named Kediri."

"What's his difficulty level?"

"He's at a level of two, but he's a much harder challenge than Frankie. Trust me…"

"I trust ya."

"…uuuugh. Me, too… (cough, cough)." I finally managed to talk after throwing up for five minutes. "Whew! I'm all better now. Why did Frankie let me do that to him? What the hell was his problem?"

"I can't answer dat, Ibuki." Shanudo replied with honesty, allowing Miracle to run up to me and cuddle his cute self under my chin for comfort. It was working, too. My stomach felt better within a few seconds after he started the snuggle. "Not even the police can answer dat. Look on da brighter side, though, Frankie is gone and we don't have ta worry 'bout him no mo'."

"Good. I guess tomorrow will be even better. I'm ready for a real challenge."

"Heh, heh… I know you are."

Took those words right outta me right there. Tee, hee! Anyway, so the worst and easiest is over, but I'm just getting started. I didn't have to do much this time, but tomorrow…

…I am NOT… holding back. If Valoff wants a fight, he's gonna get one.

And on top of that, I get to keep Shaundo's super sweet car! YES!

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4: Mission 2: Varloff

Chapter 4: Mission 2 – Varloff

So far… so good. The first mission came and went, but it was still pretty frightening to do. I literally chopped him up and just left him there. I'm sure the police wouldn't mind cleaning that mess up. My second mission was gonna be easier on my stomach, but physically tougher. This dude has a Bull Mastiff and I know how big those dogs are compared to Don even! I just hope Varloff isn't as big.

On this beautiful morning, I just headed downstairs to the kitchen to see Shaundo and Miracle, having Shaundo cooking breakfast and Miracle just watching him with a cute smile on his face. That scene was just too adorable to watch and I couldn't help but giggle. Miracle squealed when he heard me and he flew up to me before he gave me a hug on my face, cuddling as close to my soft face as he could. Shaundo didn't even need to turn around. He chuckled, but kept his attention on his cooking.

"Mornin', Ibuki!" He greeted. I got to the kitchen table and took a seat as he continued. "Did ya have nightmares?"

"Tee, hee… no." I replied with a smile. "Even though Frankie freaked me out back there, I didn't have any nightmares at all. I still can't believe he let me do that."

"Yeah, well… some people wouldn't stand up to him these days. He had to do somethin' to make sure he was dead completely."

"Well… damn…"

"Anyways, I hope you're up for Varloff. He's as strong as a football player, but deep down, he's even tougher. He nearly established the team, but thanks to Mark, he reluctantly gave him the credit."

"Why? Is Mark really that bad?"

"Trust me. Seeing these metal arms on me and that tail on Miracle ain't no illusion."

"Damn! Point taken there."

"Glad ya understand. Now, Varloff doesn't like being snuck up on. He's a cowardly wuss." Tee-hee… funny…

"So… I guess being in ninja mode won't do nothin' on him. I have to approach him head on… just like I did to Frankie." 

"Exactly. Expect a real fight against him this time. Make sure Miracle is snug tightly in yo' shirt. It's gonna be a wild ride fo' him."

"You got it. With my skills, Varloff will be gone in no time!"

An hour and a hot shower later…

"How big is a Bull Mastiff anyway?" Don asked me as I was just getting my jeans on. Miracle was holding my kunai chain for me on the dresser in front of me, sitting on his hind legs like the adorable boy he is. God, he's even cuter than me! I'm jealous. Hee, hee! "I mean… I know they're bigger than a Chihuahua, but I just wanna be sure what I'm gonna be up against."

"He's bigger than you, Don." I replied with honesty, gently taking my chains from cute lil' Miracle before I clipped them on my jeans. "You'll probably have to just find a weak spot on him."

"Goddamn it! I hate finding weak spots. They can get so complicated… and pretty… uh… inappropriate at times."

"Yeech! Yeah, I know that feeling." Seriously, I do. I remember fighting Hugo for the first time and I just couldn't cut him or hit him anywhere. Then, I found his weak spot to be on his ass. I gave it a good kick and he was down and out in less than ten seconds! I guess Poison might've spanked him a few times before the fight. Ugh! That freaky bitch! "Anyway, just keep your guard up on… uh…" I paused and turned towards Don with an awkward look on my face and he read my mind. I forgot what the dog's name was and he got it for me… and with a bored look his face nonetheless.

"…Kediri." He guessed for me. I felt stupid just now and even my giggle told him that. "Damn, Ibuki. Did you forget that dog's name that quick?"

"What in the right mind told Varloff to name his dog Kediri?"

"Who knows? His name won't even matter anyway."

"Yeah, you're right." I got my matching purple tank top on as I said this and just started working on my hair, still having Miracle watch me from the dresser. "Basically, we all have to keep our guard up. I've been wanting to be in a real fight for a while and this is my chance."

"Then, let's make it happen! I'm ready!"

Ten minutes later, at a pretty average suburban house…

I just parked in the driveway of the fancy yellow and blue house and I already attracted a pretty good crowd of the neighbors… all because of this super cool car. Damn, I love it so much!

"WHOA!" One cute little boy commented as he approached me with his Dad next to him. "Cool car! What is it?"

"It's an i8." I replied with honesty. "Shaundo gave it to me in exchange for helping him get rid of these Tanuki Kickers."

"_You're _killin' 'em?" The same boy's Dad asked me in a pretty thick country voice. "Ya know they're dangerous, right?"

"Yeah, but… I can handle 'em." I popped one of my tank top straps with confidence and a pretty cute smug look on my face. I really meant business, baby. "I'll be okay. Besides, I have Miracle right here." I looked down at cute little Miracle between my breasts and he snuggled even deeper to prove my point. That actually felt pretty good, too. Don never got jealous, like he promised, though. "He's the main cause of all this and I just have to protect him."

"Lord have mercy…" A sweet old lady came in, approaching me from behind the crowd. "…you a brave soul, girl. Are ya sure you wanna do dis?"

"I already killed the first guy… and holy crap. I had to literally chop him to bits."

"Oh, my! Well, I guess dis will be hard fo' ya."

"Yeah, but like I said, I can handle it. Shaundo led me here because he told me that Varloff lives here."

"Sydney Varloff to be precise, yes." Another old lady came in with an even sweeter voice. My brown eyes shot wide open. His first name is… Sydney? What the hell, dude? "I know these guys like to stay anonymous."

"Yeah. Have you seen his face?"

"Of course. He's a monster! He may be 45 years old, but he has the face of someone who's been burned."

"Ewww."

"That's the sad thing about him. He was burned because of what he did to those beautiful Tanuki Americans, but he doesn't want to turn himself in so quickly. He wants a fight."

"Well, he's getting one! He'll realize that he's about to mess with a ninja once I start it."

"Well, good luck, lil' lady." Another country bumpkin said, giving me a pat on my left shoulder. "Varloff has done a good numba on most of us 'round here. Be careful."

"Don't worry about me… and thanks." I kept a smile on my face as I turned towards _Sydney_'s house with Don-chan just getting on my back, ready for anything. "Ready to kill another bastard and his dog, Don?"

"And square, Ibuki! Let's go!" Don cheered with excitement. I giggled softly before I got up the set of six stairs and approached the door before I rang the doorbell, telling the crowd behind me to get back to their homes before anything crazy happened. I didn't even look behind me, but I felt them leaving and I smiled slightly as I waited for the door to open.

When he finally did open the door after a few minutes, I nearly freaked out at his face. They did say it was burned and it was… slightly. He wore an eye patch and he had decent muscles for someone in his forties. Since I was in my casual outfit, he figured I was just another neighbor… judging by the way he greeted me.

"Well, hello there." He greeted me in pretty handsome voice for a man in his age. "Never seen you around here before. Are you new to the neighborhood?"

"Uh…" O… kay. This is pretty strange, but what the hell. "…yeah, I'm new. The name's Ibuki. Nice to meet you." I offered a friendly handshake to him and he complied. So far, so good. Why he's considered tougher than Frankie? I'll never figure out at this rate. I'll just have to go along with it until something crazy happens. Don remained casual as well… only because he doesn't wanna cause unwanted commotion. "You must be Sydney Varloff."

"That'd be me, yes. Wanna come in? Have some milk and cookies?" Milk and cookies, eh? Mmmmm! I actually do have a little bit of the munchies.

A few minutes later, inside this beautiful home…

Sydney and I just sat at the table with a plate chock full of chocolate chip cookies and two glasses of milk sitting there. I took a good look at his Bull Mastiff, Kediri, and he was just sniffing Don's ass like he was another dog or something. Don started feeling a little uncomfortable and showed it very well by just snorting at him. It only startled the huge dog for a while before he got the hint and minded his own business, eating out of his food bowl like he hasn't eaten in ten years.

"So, Ibuki…" Sydney started. "…what brings you to my humble abode, my dear? I must say you are quite adorable for a woman."

"Thanks." I replied with a smile, showing my cuteness like a champ. "I've heard that you were part of the Tanuki Kickers."

"Yes, I am. Are you planning to kill me?" Whoa! He catches on fast. I'm a little scared now. Keep your guard up, Ibuki. Keep it up. "Because if you are, then you have to fight me."

"No wonder they said that you don't like be snuck up on. You catch the reason pretty fast. Can I ask you one question before we fight?" Here goes.

"Yes, go ahead."

"Why kill these beautiful Tanuki Americans? They haven't done anything wrong and they don't know you guys. Don't tell me it's because of Miracle here." I looked down at Miracle, who was still securely snug in my tank top between my boobs. Sydney hummed with interest as he saw him and started drinking his glass of milk with suspicion written all over his face. "It is, isn't it?"

"I don't like to lie, yes. I see he's in good health since last we met. How's his tail?"

"He's gotten used to his mechanical tail. He can do so many things with it now. I'm only protecting him from you assholes."

"Such language from such a cute and sexy woman like yourself. I see you wish to not ramble on any longer." Sydney paused as he slowly stood up… very slowly… and I stood up just as slow with him, keeping a look of determination on my face. In matter of a few milliseconds after we finally stood up straight, it happened…

…he pulled out a pair of Uziz's and aimed them right at my face at the exact same time I pulled out six kunai knives, three in each hand between my fingers, and pointed them at his face, making Kediri growl at Don in response… and of course, Don had to growl back in defense. Oh, yeah baby. It was about to be on in a few seconds and I was ready.

"Mmmmm-hmmmm… you came prepared." Sydney quoted, still keeping his uncomfortably polite voice in check. I remained determined and focused as he continued. "And so did your tanuki friend there."

"He's usually ahead of me." I admitted in a deeper tone of my cute voice. I really wasn't joking about killing this bastard. "Now, are we gonna kick some ass or what?"

"Indeed, we must begin." He paused as he cocked his guns and I was ready to split and hide for a sneak attack. "Die, you kunoichi bitch!" He wasted no time in shooting those fast guns. My speed of sound was able to carry me all over the house, leaping from wall-to-wall, until I reached an open vent on the roof and that's when he stopped after five minutes of trying to kill me. I checked on Miracle when it died down for a while and he was shaking with so much fear, it felt like my cell phone vibrating in the same way. Awww, poor baby. He got scared to death.

"It's-okay-it's okay, Miracle. Shhhh…" I quickly took him out of my shirt and hugged him as close to my face as I could get, giving him all the love I have for him.

During the hug, I manage to see Sydney walking around the place. I'm guessing he was looking for me because he kinda lost me in the million-bullets-per-second shoot out. Personally, that's exactly how I wanted it. Then, I look at Don-chan and he's already having a pretty rough death match with Kediri, but Sydney never paid attention to it. My surveillance was interrupted when Miracle's lovable squeals started to sound like a crying newborn baby and my brown eyes started to get watery with him, but I held my head up high as I continued to comfort him.

"Shh, shh! It's gonna be okay, Miracle. I know you're scared of him. You're not hurt, are you?" I slowly pulled him away from my face for a minute to inspect him and he was unharmed. My smile grew more after that and I continued the hug. "Good. See? I'm quicker on my feet than you thought. You're safe with me as long as you're in my shirt." After three more minutes of the embrace, I carefully stuffed lil' Miracle back in between my breasts and he got himself even more comfortable just seconds afterwards, stopping his shivering along the way, too. "Just hang on tight to it and you'll stick to me like glue all throughout this fight. I promise." Miracle made a few squeals in response and I translated it perfectly.

"Don't worry about Don. I'm glad you care about him and all, but I know him, okay? He'll be fine." I reassured as I got on the defensive. "I got Sydney. Can you… handle my speed?" Miracle miraculously nodded. Tee, hee! I've been waiting a while to say something like that. That pun was intended. HA! "Wow! Okay. Well, hang on, then. It's about to be a wild ride!"

After I said that, I pulled out three kunai knives and was ready to strike Sydney any minute. When he finally got in range after three minutes, I actually dove down for him and tackled him right on his back before I stabbed him with all three knives, like I was a tanuki with the sharpest claws in the world! He screamed at the top of his lungs with intense pain for about a minute before he finally gathered the strength to toss me off of him, but I ended up landing on my feet against the wall and then, used it to gracefully flip off and do about four fast flips before I landed on my feet on the carpet floor this time. Sydney was still on the floor, trying to get my kunais outta his back. While he was, I looked over at Don-chan fighting that dog. He was amazingly overtaking the big puppy and I cringed right when Don bit through his chest. Before I could witness the fatality, though…

"You bitch!" Sydney screamed out at me as he slowly stood up, still struggling to get my knives outta his back. Damn, I… kinda stuck 'em in there, didn't I? "I must admit… ugh… you have the skills of a ninja that's been training for years."

"That's because I _have _been training for years." I spat back at him with a smart tone. "Since I was two years old to be exact."

"Humph! You are quite the rude one… cute, but rude."

"I'm only rude because you are. You just tried to kill me, you dumb-ass!"

"And I admit that, but look over there." Sydney pointed over to where Don and Kediri were having quite a bloody battle. "That's how violent we should've been."

"Yeah, true… but that's Don's handiwork." That's it! I couldn't stand Sydney's uncomfortable respect anymore! I was about time for him to die. I pulled out three more kunais and snuck up on him while he was still watching Don and Kediri's match. When I got close enough, he somehow sensed me and grabbed me by my neck with one hand and holy crap! It was a tight kung-fu grip, too! I couldn't breathe and that made me drop my weapons and just struggle to get free as he spoke.

"You do remember that I don't like to be snuck up on, don't you?" He quoted to me and I mentally slapped my forehead. I sure did forget that fast. I couldn't help it! "Hee, hee… you can't escape me, Ibuki. I've won this round, sweetheart." I finally managed to pull out the three knives that were in his back and he tossed them to the floor as if he hated them. "Now, how about we end this?" He wasted no time in turning around and making his grip on my neck stronger with both hands now and my breathing was getting too harsh for Miracle to handle. He started fearing for my safety and shivered between my breasts for a short minute before he stopped shivering and that shocked me. I looked down at him with my eyes only and I saw him slowly crawl out of my shirt and turned his metal tail into a decent pocket sized chainsaw and did, what I thought was, the impossible.

He literally chopped off Sydney's hands by the wrists and he screamed with extreme pain while I was free. I looked down at Miracle right when he turned his tail back to normal again and looked up at me with the most adorable smile I've ever seen while he giggled. He made me giggle back at him and hugged him close as a thanks before we both watched Sydney panic all over the living room with his handless arms spraying blood all over the place. This finally caught Don and Kediri's attention, but Don used it as an opportunity to make one final strike on the Bull Mastiff and gave him one final bite in his chest, ripping his heart out on the way out this time, rendering him as dead as a squashed spider!

For the next three minutes, we watched Sydney go nuts all over the room before us and I even sat down casually in a lounge chair that just so happened to be behind me, set up the recliner, and sat back with my legs crossed with a smug look on my face. Miracle got out of my shirt and just laid there between my boobs with just as much of a cool look on his face while Don just slowly laid down by my feet with the same cool smile. Four more minutes went by and I looked over at a telephone on my left side. I picked it up and dialed 911. I calmly explained the situation to the dispatcher and she sent the police over in less than two minutes after I hung up.

When the police did arrive, Don, Miracle, and I never moved from our spot as we watched the handless Sydney get into a straitjacket instead, since they couldn't handcuff him. The sheriff walked up to us and he chuckled on the way, seeing how calm we were. You… kinda do have to admit. We were lookin' pretty awesome just sitting here.

"Heh, heh… what's this now?" The sweet old sheriff started. "You cut off his hands and you watch this as if it was a movie?"

"Eh, it works." I replied, still keeping a confident look on my face. "This is already a box office hit."

"HA, HAAAA! I like your style, Ibuki! The name's Sheriff Timsley." He offered a hand to me and I shook it with the utmost respect. "Shaundo made the right choice to hire you for us. You've only executed two of these bastards so far and, to me, that's amazing progress."

"Thank you, Timsley. Am I getting paid for this?"

"No, but if you want, we can make that arrangement for you. Let's say the more effort you put into the kill, the more money you earn."

"Sound good, but despite what I just asked you, I'm not gonna be doing this just for the money. Miracle's a cutie and I just love him so much." I looked down at the cute little guy to prove my point and he squealed upon seeing the sheriff look at him.

"He is a cute lil' fellow. Miracle's the lord we bow down to, but never touch."

"He is?" Now, this is new to me! Shaundo never told me this. I paid very close attention as Timsley continued.

"Yep." He took a seat next to me on my right as he continued. "Many of us have heard of how Mark and his vicious dog, Stone, attacked Miracle and Shaundo. Miracle managed to survive with that metal tail he's got there and swore to protect Shaundo as well as everyone else in this city from Mark and Stone. As you know by now, Mark is the leader of the Tanuki Kickers. He's titled that for a good reason: He despises those beautiful Tanuki Americans."

"Why? They're adorable!"

"Nobody knows why he hates them. All we know is that all he wants to do is take over the mansion as his own. There's no telling what he might do to these innocent creatures once he does. For now, though, we're glad he's playing fair and allowing you to come to him once you defeat his comrades."

"That overconfident bastard! When his time comes, I'll kick his ass faster than I could against Gill!"

"That's the spirit! The only reason why you're executing these bastards first is because Mark has to be weakened. Without his posse, he's practically defenseless, but he can still put up a pretty damn good fight."

"I'll be ready for him. Thanks, Sheriff."

"Just wanna give our heroine a heads-up before she gets too cocky."

"…" Say what? He thinks I'm being cocky? I showed a pretty bored look on my face after he said this and Don chuckled at it as he looked up at me.

"Heh, heh! Maybe that's his way of saying that these first two kills were just the beginning." Don translated for me. I looked down at him and only snorted with an attitude as my response. I know they were just the beginning. Being cocky is what most ninjas do sometimes. Sheesh!

Hours later, at dinnertime back at the Tanuki American Sanctuary Mansion…

It was my first taste of American cuisine and it consisted of baked chicken, Southern collard greens, and white rice smothered in brown gravy. Mmm-mm! It was delicious! Don and Miracle had to get their share of this delicious meal and they enjoyed it as much as I did. And having Shaundo being the chef, he even amazed himself as he tasted his recipe.

"Holy crap!" He started. "Did I put my foot in it or did I put my foot in it?"

"You sure did put your foot in it, Shaundo." I replied with a playful giggle. "This tastes delicious! This is actually my first time eating American food."

"Is it? Well, consider yo'self lucky. You're missing much mo' than dis!"

"Figures."

"Heh, heh! So, how did your mission with Varloff go?"

"I'd rather call him Sydney."

"Sydney Varloff?"

"Yeah. He actually gave me his real name."

"Huh! Well, enjoy dat chance while ya can. Not too many of these dumb-asses will reveal their identity to ya. They're too desperate fo' dat."

"I should've known, but actually, Miracle did the execution for me."

"What? Sydney was too much fo' ya?"

"I completely forgot that he didn't like to be snuck up on and damn, he proved it to me very well."

"He gave you a lethal chokehold, didn't he?"

"With one hand first and then, with both. I was as good as dead… until Miracle decided to save me. I didn't think he had the courage." I looked down at the adorable little hero of mine and he squealed with happiness as he saw me.

"He must've turned his tail into something strong enough to slice through his wrists."

"A chainsaw."

"Ah! Of course! Another weapon I installed in his blueprints. He practically has every weapon you could think of in that tail of his… except a flamethrower."

"I can understand why."

"I'm glad you do. I don't even need to explain why. The point is, though, you made it through and Miracle is, once again, unharmed and well."

"He was a little scared at first when I was dodging Sydney's bullets."

"Tee, hee… this might be funny, but despite having a gun as a weapon choice in his tail, he's scared of the ammo dat comes out."

"No wonder he was so scared."

"Yeah. The sound of a gunshot doesn't scare him, but bullets do. I don't know why, but that's what I found out."

"Awww. Well, I'm so glad being in my shirt protects him. Let's see who's next on my list." I pulled out my list from my back pocket and just checked off Sydney Varloff before I saw who was next. "Ralph. Hmmm… he sounds like he could be a threat. His difficulty level's at a three though."

"Ooooh, Ralph. He's the shortest of the team at his height of three feet and five inches. He even has a dog that small: a Miniature Dachshund named RJ, or Ralph Jr." What the freakin' hell…?

"Do they look alike or somethin'?"

"Not really. They're just close friends, more like brothers."

"No kiddin'. So, what makes them so difficult?"

"Ralph's been studying a certain fighting style that you know very well. Take a wild guess."

"Ninjitsu."

"Yep! He's been through many years of research of Japanese Ninjitsu styles and what he can make of it. He's got the weapons, he's got the know-how, he's got the outfit, and he even has his own animal companion, just like with you and Don here."

"Hmmm…" This guy sounds like a challenge. Ninja versus ninja… I like it. I like it alot! Yeah!

"What do ya think? Ya up fo' it?"

"Hell yeah! He'll never know that I've been training for practically my whole life and that's probably longer than how long he's been studying!"

"Figured you would say dat. There's just one thing odd about this next mission."

"What?"

"He's practically all over the Downtown area of the city, but he will find you instead of you finding him."

"YES! Damn, I'm excited! I've been waiting for this."

"Heh, heh… you be careful out there tomorrow then."

"Oh, I will."

Well, another mission bites the dust and then, I hear that this dude named Ralph is part ninja and that's what I love to hear. I'll be able to get into ninja mode on him and we'll be clashing kunai knives in no time! As for Don-chan, though… I'll have to think up of a good game plan for him against RJ.

Tomorrow's gonna be a bitch…

…like Juri. Tee, hee! Don't… don't tell her I said that.

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5: Mission 3: Ralph

(Sorry it's been an incredibly long time since I updated this story, but many issues came up and I just got a new computer for Christmas. So, I hope you all have been patient with me. Enjoy!)

Chapter 5: Mission 3 – Ralph

The first two missions came and went and damn! Were they crazy?! The first one wanted to die, the second one was too polite to admit the same thing… now, I've got a midget ninja with a living hot dog! Tee, hee! Funny… anyway…

…it was time to think up a perfect execution plan for Ralph. Since he's part ninja, I can't take him by surprise and he has to find me. Already, I knew this was gonna be a doozy. I was a little nervous and I showed it very well when Shaundo saw how quiet I was at the breakfast table while he served his famous grits and gravy entreé.

"Heh, heh!" He chuckled. "Startin' ta feel nervous 'bout Ralph?"

"Yeah." I replied with practically no emotion in my cute voice.

"Well, there ain't too many people like him 'round dese here parts, but I can tell ya this… he makes that rare sight worth the risk."

"How?"

"Every so often, he shows off his ninja skills in public events like a festival or a county fair, which don't happen very often." Aww, gee. No kidding!

"I can tell. But, since I'm the ninja expert, I can honestly tell ya that since he so short, he actually has a very speedy advantage, which is something I hate."

"Yeah, he's gonna be a challenge fo' ya. Fortunately, he's also the only member of the Tanuki Kickers that's married." Say what? Who would marry a douchebag ninja like him?!

"Are you kiddin' me?! He's MARRIED?!" That made me slam my spoon on the table with anger, nearly scaring Miracle, but Don stayed serious. Shaundo nodded. "What's her name?"

"Her name is Kindrea. She's only an inch shorter than him, but despite the fact that he's part of the Tanuki Kickers, she stays with him for the sake of her own life. It was literally a choice to either say with him and stay alive or divorce him and die the very next day after signing the divorce papers." I… couldn't… believe it. He's taken his ninja skills a little too far on this one. Good thing my boyfriend and I aren't like that. Yikes. "In other words, she trapped like a rat in a marriage she doesn't even want to be in anymore. The only way to break her out of it is for you to challenge Ralph to a fight to the death and win."

"So, this mission is saving two lives this time."

"And only this mission, yeah. Still feel up fo' it?"

"Uh, hell yeah! I'm gonna beat his ass down harder than a boulder!"

An hour later, after a good, hot shower and getting dressed in a neon green version of my tank top and jeans outfit…

"I hate Ralph." Don muttered during the car ride to a quiet apartment complex near the outskirts of Atlanta. I kept my eyes on the road, but I nodded in agreement with him. I hated Ralph, too. I couldn't wait to kick his ass! "He's forcing his wife to stay with him. Isn't that in the vow… 'To love, honor, and obey'?"

"Yeah, but it seems like he took a copy of that vow and changed it." I replied with practically no sign of thinking in my mind. "Instead of 'Love, honor, and obey', he changed it to 'Love, stay, and live'."

"Damn! I never thought this mission would be hard. I hope his short height doesn't make ya nervous."

"No!" Miracle squealed in protest after I said this. That made me screech to a stop just three buildings from the apartment. Luckily, I was parked on the right side of the street, so there wouldn't be any angry drivers. I felt offended by Miracle's sudden outburst and I wanted answers. What the hell did I do?! "What the fuck, Miracle…!"

"Whoa…" Even Don-chan was shocked to see this. He stayed quiet as he watched us with observation. I pick up cute lil' Miracle and showed him how red and pissed my adorable face was, making a brown eyes look deadly to him, but he never showed a sign of fear. He just gave me his angry look back at me.

"What was that for?! Huh?!" I screamed at him at the very top of my lungs, which never scared him… again. He snorted and never made another sound after that. We stared at each other for what seemed like hours… until a soft sound of something printing was heard. Don watched Miracle's tail print a receipt and he took it. He read it and his eyes went wide. I was about to ask him what was going on, but before I could even let out a sound outta my open mouth…

"You lied." Don said with literally no emotion in his voice. I looked at Miracle with a shocked expression this time as Don continued to read the paper. "It says 'You're more nervous than when you first started Street Fighting… and you can't hide it, Ibuki-chan.' Wow! His tail's a part-time lie detector!"

"…aw, man." I started to gently place Miracle up on the dashboard before me and plop myself back in my seat. "I guess I am still nervous. I hope I didn't scare you." Miracle shook his head and felt bad about me. I can tell because he kept whining like a frightened puppy as he tilted his head to his left and kept a frown on his face. Don ate the paper as if it was candy, but remained quiet as I continued. "Good, but seriously, that squeal was too loud for me to handle. Tone it down next time you detect a lie on me, okay?" Miracle nodded before he leaped towards my chest and nuzzled his head right between my boobs as his sign of an apology. Seeing this made me giggle as I gently stroked his soft head between his rounded ears. "Awww! If he keeps this up, I might end up breastfeeding this little guy."

"TA-HA! I'd love to see that!"

Ten minutes later, at the apartment…

We remained in the car as we started contemplating the perfect plan to somehow ambush Ralph before he even senses our presence. I remember taking a test on it once when I was thirteen and it was just hard. Enjo kept detecting me at every chance he got for like about twenty-two times before I finally pulled it off that many times in a row and I felt so proud of myself. I'm just hoping I can pull this plan off without a with Miracle and Don-chan involved in this, it was gonna be even harder.

"Okay, Ibuki. So, what's the game plan?" Don started as he paid full attention to me. Miracle remained attentive as well as he sat on his hind legs on the steering wheel, not letting his nearly heavy metal tail loose his balance.

"Well, we need to develop a flawless way to sneak in there without his detecting us." I replied with a serious look on my cute face. "Knowing us ninjas, we have that incredible sixth sense that can sense chis for miles, if we use that sense right."

"Does being short add more power to the senses?"

"I hate to say it, but yeah. The only problem is how much more power is added. I can't seem to put my finger on it."

"So, what do ya suggest we do?"

"Well, for safety, we'll have to create a diversion."

"Oh, boy… I just know that's my job."

Five minutes later, at Room C17…

There were three knocks at Ralph and Kindrea's door and the beautiful blonde, blue eyed short woman answered it by simply pressing a small red button next to it. It revealed Don, looking as innocent as possible.

"Awww, hey there, little fella." Kindrea greeted with the sweetest voice the tanuki's ever heard, next to mine, of course. "Where did you come from?"

"Would you believe me, if I could talk?" Don asked ironically, making Kindrea giggle as she picked him up and cuddled him in her arms before pressing the same red button to close and lock the door with a free hand.

"Well, I obviously believe you, yes. What's your name?"

"Don."

"That's a cute name."

"You must be Kindrea."

"Yes, I am. How did you know?"

"Um…" He pauses as he looks around suspiciously, but Kindrea caught on before he could ask.

"Ralph is asleep in his room."

"Oh, good. Well, I live with Shaundo. You might have heard of him."

"Oh, yes. He's that friendly old man with the metal arms. He knew about Ralph?"

"He knows all about this gang called the…"

"…Tanuki Kickers. I know… and I know Ralph is a very well-devoted member. Personally, I want him out of it and out of this whole ninja business, but he won't. He's even imprisoned me in the marriage that I'm desperately trying to escape! He frightens me to a T!"

"Which is why I'm here. I wanna console you on how you can break outta this marriage without even putting a hand on him."

"You… would do that for me?"

"Yeah. You look too sweet and kind to be in a dangerous marriage like this."

Meanwhile, in Ralph's room…

Hearing Don-chan out there was working like a charm. Don't ask me how I knew all of that was going on while I'm here hiding in a closet. It just happens. Anyway, it was nearly showtime and I just changed into my ninja gear. Miracle used his tail to send the scanning power towards his adorable cobalt blue eyes to see if RJ, his super Dachshund, was in there with him. After about two minutes of the scan, he turned off his scanner and squealed with worry. That made me smile actually.

"Looks like RJ's in there with him." I whispered to Miracle, who nodded. "Is he sleeping, too?" Miracle then shook his head as a response. That didn't feel good between my breasts, but his hair was still soft, though. Tee, hee! "Damn. He's keeping watch. This plan's gonna be more complex than I thought. As much as I hate to kill animals, and I always let Don to the killing, I'll have to do that first… but how?" Miracle softly squealed in response before he slowly crawled out from between my boobs and took careful aim at the dog with his tail by the time he was on the ruby red carpet floor. I was confused for a moment, but before I could ask…

_**SHWIP!**_

A soft sound of a shot dart was heard and just milliseconds after hearing it, I heard the sound of a final breath being exhaled with the small hint of an extremely soft whine… followed by the sound of a body collasping. Miracle just shot a poison dart, killing him instantly! How many more mysterous weapons does he have in there?! Jeez! I was speechless for literally a minute before he squealed softly to get my attention… and to tell me that he killed RJ. I snapped out of it as I spoke.

"What the…?!" I whispered. "Did you… just kill RJ with a… dart?" Miracle nodded with a proud smile that wanted to force me to smile, too… but I was just too shocked to do so! Really, I was! "Was it poisoned?" Again, Miracle nodded and made multiple soft squeals and I translated perfectly. "Jukoba poison… that's nearly the same poison that's as deadly as rattlesnake venom and Komodo dragon venom mixed together! Shaundo never ceases to amaze me with ya! You do know that, right?" Miracle giggled as he nodded before he gracefully leaped up to my face and gave me a hug. I slowly hugged him back and it lasted for about a minute before we got back to business, having Miracle snuggle himself back between my boobs comfortably. "Well, hard part's over, I guess. Now, we can focus entirely on Ralph. Are you ready?" Again, Miracle nodded and he was shaking with excitement. Aww, that made me smile under my half-mask. "Now, let's see if Ralph won't put up much of a fight."

Two minutes later…

"…and that's pretty much it." Don finished right when I walked out of Ralph's room with his dead corpse in my arms. I slashed his throat in his sleep. He never woke up during that whole ordeal and all that's left of him is in my arms. My non-detection skill really paid off here. Don finally noticed me from the other side of the couch and perked up with a smile, getting Kindrea to look behind herself as well to see me with her dead husband. She was overjoyed as she gently placed Don down on the floor before she ran up to me quickly. "Well, what do ya know? It happened!"

"You killed him?" Kindrea asked me with a smile that could please others around her. I nodded in response, having Miracle nod with me at the same time with his signature cute smile. "How'd you do it so quickly?"

"He never woke up." I replied with honesty. "Honestly, though… what kind of ninja sleeps? Well, I do, but I have senses that wake me up right when I feel someone in the room… unlike him. No ninja should be a deep sleeper and he sure did learn that lesson the hard way now."

"Thank you so much… both of… well…" She just noticed Miracle. "…all three of you. I don't how I can ever repay you!"

"No payments are necessary, ma'am!" Don proudly announced as he walked over to my feet before I just dropped Ralph's corpse on the carpet floor as if it was a bag of shit. "Just doing a super strong favor on behalf of Shaundo and the police."

"Just simply wonderful! Thank you again!"

"What do you wanna do with Ralph's body?" I asked professionally. Kindrea looked at the body for a moment and perked up with an idea.

"Are Don and Miracle carnivores?"

"Omnivores, actually. Why?"

"Well…"

An hour and a half later, back at Shaundo's santuary…

Don and Miracle were sharing the serving of Ralph's smoked body in the backyard while Shaundo and I watched from the kitchen, eating our own entreé of smoked turkey legs with rice, smothered in turkey broth, and green beans. I was back in my neon green tank top and jeans outfit again. We both watched them with smiles as we ate and we just watched in silence for the next three minutes before Shaundo finally broke the silence.

"She didn't wanna bury Ralph's body, eh?" He started the conversation strong.

"Nope!" I replied, finishing another bite of my turkey leg. "She hated him _that _much."

"Wow! I guess the case was deeper than I thought. Well, third guy is down. I wonder if Mark knows 'bout dis."

"Probably, but let's not dwelve in on it. He getting weaker and weaker at this point."

"Yeah, good point. So, are ya ready to hear 'bout yo' next target?"

"Yeah." I gained confidence now. I'm ready to take on these guys and their mutts now! Shaundo kept his smile on his face as he handed me the list and I just crossed off Ralph before I saw who was next. "Val. Huh! That's it? Just… Val?"

"He's half-Greek."

"Ah! Of course!" Then I got nervous again when I saw that he had two dogs! Uh, oh… "Two dogs?!"

"Yeah. Two German Shepards… Kayley and Haley. They're siblings."

"Aww, man…" Poor Don-chan. He has to deal with two dogs on our next mission… and they're both German Shepards, one of my favorite dog breeds. They were bred to protect and that's why I love 'em so much. "…are they… vicious?"

"Dangerous puts it much more nicely." Shit!

"Damn! Well, Don-chan has a challenge ahead of him. I'll tell him about it tomorrow morning. Having him hear about this now will keep him from sleeping."

"Good idea. Ya'll get a good night sleep now, here?"

An hour later, in me and Don's room…

Don just got comfortable in his bed and was just drifting off to sleep. I stayed up for a little while and just laid on my back, staring at nothing in particular at the ceiling. I kept a smile on my face. I was reminiscing about how well this was going so far. We've already been through three missions and each one was just an amazing experience for us. The first one wanted to die, the second was so polite that it was scary, and the third was a rookie midget ninja who's a deep sleeper who forced his wife to stay with him or else. They all went by with practically no problems and Miracle is still unharmed from every ordeal. Speaking of him, the poor little guy really went through a traumatizing experience with Mark and his dog, Stone. He's toughened up since then, but I bet flashbacks of him still haunt him some kinda way.

Having that in mind made me sit up and put on my shorts before I headed downstairs to Miracle's room. I peeped in and I saw that he was whining in his sleep while he appeared to be squirming from a strong grip from some mysterious force in his dream. I grew worried as I slowly walked inside and just watched him for a few more seconds when I approached the crib. After about fifteen more seconds, I finally gave him two soft taps on his head and he screeched himself awake with every last ounce of his fear. He was shaking like a leaf when he was fully awake and was just too horrified to move, even after he saw me. I frowned with worry before I gently picked him up and cuddled him in my arms for a moment. I ended up walking around the room while I was gently calming him down by just rocking him slightly. This lasted for about ten minutes, but he was still slightly shaking with fear and just couldn't stop. He needed more comfort. So, I went back upstairs to my room and got back in bed, gently laying Miracle right in between my boobs, which is his official comfort zone. When he got comfortable, he got even more relaxed by pulling some of my nightshirt over him, like it was a cover, before he laid his head right on the side of my right breast. I watched him the entire time, even as he finally fell asleep and the shivering was gone. He fell asleep with a smile on his face and that made me smile back, nearly leaking a tear, but luckily, none escaped from my eyes. I ended up lying on my back the entire time and eventually, I fell asleep as well with that same smile on my face.

I guess that settles it. Miracle is officially my little miracle. I just only hope that the rest of these missions will go smoothly for us.

To be continued…


	6. Chapter 6: Mission 4: Val

Chapter 6: Mission 4 – Val

This next morning couldn't get any sweeter. Instead of the beautiful morning sun waking me up, I feel something fuzzy nuzzle me on my both of my breasts. I slowly opened my eyes and looked down at Miracle with a smile of appreciation. He saw me awake and he squealed with all the happiness he could have before he tried to hug my face. I ended up smiling from ear to ear as I gently used one hand to hug him back. I'm taking this as his way of saying 'Good Morning' and it worked to perfection. Awwww! He's just so adorable with all this affection he's been giving me. He reminds me of when I first got Don when he was a cub. He was this close to me then and he still is today. Miracle kinda ups the ante a little bit with his version of 'I love you, Ibuki.' It just makes me feel so good inside. He's pratically a baby brother at this point, but it seems to be more than that to him… especially since he loves being between my boobs all the time… and I'm the one who came up with that idea, damn it!

Anyway, despite all this love and affection I'm getting from cute lil' Miracle, I never took my mind off of Val the Half-Greek Tanuki Killer and his team of two of the most dangerous German Shepards in Atlanta: Haley and Kayley. Don had to face both of them and, knowing how big those dogs are compared to Don-chan, we're really gonna have to conjure up the perfect flawless gameplan to make sure he doesn't have too much a challenge.

In the meantime, though, I just gotta give Miracle some more love.

"Tee, hee!" I giggled with a smile that was nearly ear to ear. "Good morning, Miracle. Somebody had a good dream, despite last night." Miracle nodded in agreement as he squealed again and I translated it. "Awww, don't worry about Don. He's a tough tanuki. I know he can survive two dogs. We just need to think up of a perfect plan for him, so it'll be effortless. I… only hope Val isn't an insane bastard, like Frankie was." Yeech! Just saying his name right now gave me goosebumps. I don't even wanna think about him right now. Upon hearing Val's name, though, Miracle frowned and scurried under my nightshirt for shelter. This made me frown with concern. Don just got up on the foot of the bed and saw the whole thing, making that same face I did as well.

"Uh, oh…" Don started. "Somethin' tells me Val is really up to no good."

"You said it." I agreed as I found Miracle under my shirt and tried to stroke his back for comfort from the outside of my shirt. He responded to my touch by a vibrating purr and he was calm… for now. "Awww, poor Miracle. I wonder what's up with Val then."

Ten minutes later, at the breakfast table…

"Yeah, Val is just as tough as them dogs." Shaundo started he just served my plate of whole wheat waffles and mixed fruit on the side. Don and Miracle just had the huge bowl of fruit for them. "He does take his Greek heritage up a few notches, though."

"What do you mean?" I asked him with confusion as I took in my first forkful of these delicious waffles. Shaundo just took his seat with his plate as he continued.

"He doesn't fight ya face-ta-face. He does one o' dose Gladiator arena thangs!"

"Meaning…"

"…he puts his dogs up to the challenge. Basically, if his dogs win, he wins."

"So, I gotta put Don up against those two dogs by himself?!"

"Unfortunately, yeah. Val knows he can't allow Miracle to go in there, even though he desperately wants ta."

"That Miracle Badge of Protection is really powerful, ain't it?"

"Because he'd rather allow his dogs to die at the hands of his fair opponent rather than pay a hefty fine for even one tiny scratch on Miracle."

"Wow…" I guess thinking up of a good plan won't be so hard after all.

Fifteen minutes later, right after my shower in the bathroom…

I was wrapped in a towel as I just finished drying my hair and worked on styling in my signature ponytails that I love so much. Miracle provided hold on my towel with his useful tail while he sat on my left shoulder, so it wouldn't fall off during that time while Don was literally pacing back and forth near the door with anxiety. I shook my head with humor as I spoke. He always looks adorable when he's like this.

"Not ready to fight two dogs, are ya?" I started with a smirk on my face as I kept my focus on the mirror.

"What the hell am I gonna do?!" Don exclaimed in a panic. Aww, he's really worried about this… and deep down… so am I. "Do you know how _huge_ German Shepards are compared to me?! I could die within minutes if I pit against two!"

"That's why I'm a little scared myself. I have a bad feeling that, no matter what plan we come up with, you won't win… because it sounds like Val could be a fuckin' cheater!"

"Humph! You said it." Don stopped his pacing and just stood on his hind legs with crossed front ones. "So, what are we gonna do?"

"Hmmm…" As I was thinking, I somehow saw a glimpse of what the dogs could look like in the mirror in my eyes. I shivered at them as I whisked the vision away. Something had to be done about those dangerous dogs. Just as soon as I was about to make a decision, Miracle squealed in multiple tones, making me look at him just as soon as I finished the final touches on my three bangs. "What?" Miracle squealed again and I gasped with wide brown eyes! Of course! Miracle just told me that I could give Don a partner from one of his fellow siblings. If he couldn't be in a fight, someone else could. He understood that he or she could die during the fight, but it was a risk Miracle was willing to take. "THAT'S IT! Don, Miracle is right!"

"Yeah, I heard that, too!" Don's translator worked as well as he said this. "The only question though, is who do we send out with me?"

Another fifteen minutes later…

I was dressed in the baby blue version of my tank top and jeans outfit this time as Shaundo led me to the extremely spacious backyard where the many millions of American Tanukis were just enjoying themselves. I had Miracle nestled between my boobs again and he was so comfortable… I was literally getting wet in my panties this time, but I held back that feeling as Shanudo spoke. Damn, he felt good!

"I don't know why I ain't come up wit dat plan myself!" Shaundo started with shame. "Miracle can be quite smart, ya know. That mechanical tail gave him intellegence that's ten times better than a dog's."

"Are American Tanukis natually this smart, too?" I asked him politely. My cute smile returned as I said this.

"Yeah, but Miracle surpasses 'em by a mile! There is one American Tanuki who is nearly as smart as he is, but the only problem is that… uh… well…"

"It's a girl."

"…yeah. It makes Miracle feel bad that a female is nearly as smart as he is. In fact, due to his hidden jealously, he always steers clear from her. Would you like to meet her?"

HA-HA! Miracle?! Jealous?! This is an American Tanuki I must see! "Yeah, sure. Let's meet her."

"Alrighty, then. Zaironica!" Upon hearing that beautiful name, the pure white American Tanuki came up to us and she was about the same size as Don-chan. She had beautiful hazel brown eyes that glowed with so much high spirits. "Ibuki, meet Zaironica. She's a young three year old, but trust me, she can pack a punch both mentally and physically."

"Awww, she's really pretty. Don, do you see her?" I looked down at him and he was already drooling. Uh, oh… someone's in love. I smiled at him as he slowly approached her, keeping his composure.

"Uh… hi." Don struggled. Zaironica giggled in a half-deepened female tone. Oh, boy… can't wait until she speaks.

"Ain't she pretty?" Shaundo came in. "Zaironica doesn't talk much, but she's still appointed as a ringleader for all of these Tanukis. They've stayed well-behaved ever since they first met her so many years ago and it still hasn't changed at all today. She can be Don's partner against those dangerous mutts."

"How tough is she on the battlefield?" I asked with curiosity.

"Despite her size, she's never fought befo'… but I can assure ya, she can get tough when she needs ta be."

"Good enough to me!" Don agreed with a smile that was just adorable to me. I don't know why I have a terrible feeling in my chest that something crazy's gonna happen during the battle all of a sudden. Miracle felt my anxiety and he squealed softly to me, looking up at me with concern.

"I'm okay, Miracle." I reassured to him, keeping my smile as much as I can. Shaundo saw my face, too. Damn it! I can't hide nothin' on my cute face!

"Ya sho', ya okay?" He asked me as he placed a huge metal hand on my right shoulder. I finally became honest and shook my head. Zaironica frowned with me as she approached my feet and stood on her hind legs with courage in her eyes.

"I've seen those dogs before." Zaironica started in the deep female voice I expected, making Don-chan drool even more mentally. "They are big in size, but they can never surpass Don and I."

"You sound so sure about that." I quoted as I kneeled down to get closer to her, making Miracle snort with anger. Tee, hee! He _is _jealous! Poor thing! "Are you sure you'll be fine with Don-chan? It's been a while since he's been in a Gladiator type of battle with different animals. Sure, he fought some of the dogs so far, but not like this."

"No one shall prosper against us. I guarantee it."

Ten minutes later, in the super cool car ride towards Val's…

"Now, Ibuki." Shaundo started over my speakers in the car's built-in phone system. "I neva told ya what Val looks like. Remember Ralph?"

"The midget ninja?" I asked him with humor and sarcasm all at once. Seriously, I couldn't believe he slept through that attack. Fuckin' moron. "Yeah, I remember him."

"Well, he may be the shortest member, but as for Val… well…"

"He's the tallest."

"Remarkably! He's only the tallest by an inch compared to Mark."

"How tall is Val?!" Oh, God. Mark's tall? That depends on the height Shaundo gives me. I saw Don shivering in the back seat next to Zaironica, who calmed him down, while Miracle was just sitting there with bravery on the dashboard… perfectly still at that, too!

"Ya ready fo' it?"

"Yeah."

"…Seven feet and three inches."

"…" AAAAAAAHHHHHH! MARK'S SEVEN FOOT TWO! NOT GOOD! NOT GOOD!

"Holy shit!" Don exclaimed behind me. I… cannot… believe it! Mark is so tall, it ain't even funny! No wonder Shaundo and Miracle suffered so much since that fateful attack! Now, I'm nervous about Mark. I wasn't before, but now I am. FUCK! "Ibuki, are ya nervous?"

"Hell yeah, I'm nervous as shit!" My look of bored anger explained it all, too. Shaundo sighed over the speakers.

"I knew you two would be shocked to know 'bout dis." He agreed with worry in his voice. "No need to be concerned 'bout his dog, Stone. He's the average size the typical Rottweiler should be. I guarantee it."

"And I believe you. So, with that being said about Val, is he… strong?" Humph! He oughta be.

"Let's just say that he's strong enough to be a hottie, but not strong enough be crowned the strongest man alive." Hmm! Sounds simple enough.

"Okay. I'll be ready for him then… in case he tries to pull a few strings."

"Atta girl! Just… don't cut 'im. He… just might find a way to cut ya back."

"Gotcha! Ibuki-chan out." After that, I hung up the phone and Miracle made multiple squeals, speaking to me again. All three of us translated what he just said and we were all shocked. "WHAT?! Val actually respects you?!"

"That is something." Zaironica agreed. Don couldn't agree more.

"Why?!" He asked with surprise. Miracle squealed again and we sighed with relief. He just said that Val respects him because of one good reason:

Val despises Mark

Who would've thunk it, huh?

"Why can't Val rebel against him, then?" I asked Miracle. "I don't get it." Miracle made even more squeals and I was wide eyed with shock right when I arrived at Val's mansion near the city limits. "Are you serious?! Mark will kill him if he does?!" Ugh! Such a cliché reason! Don and Zaironica couldn't believe it either.

"Well, that sucks." Don muttered with anger. Zaironica just nodded in agreement. She didn't want to put in her two cents about it because it would be over the top and I understand that. "So, with that being the case, what are we gonna do, Ibuki?"

"To be honest with ya, Don-chan… I really don't have no idea." Really, I didn't. If Val hates Mark so much, but he can't go against him because he would die if he did… then… awww, jeez! This is gonna be tough. I only hope Val isn't too cute, then. "I guess we'll just have to go inside and see if we can negotiate something peaceful." Right after I said this, I turned off the engine and Miracle immediately got himself comfortable in my tank top between my boobs as usual and I just couldn't help but smile. Despite how dangerous this mission will get, he was always eager to get it overwith and keep a positive attitude the whole time. Afterwards, I got out of the car and right at the porch, there was Val and… goddamn! He had Ryu's muscles, but the combination of having pale blonde hair in a short cut with even paler blue eyes made him look kinda sexy. MMMmmm-no… no-no-no! Easy, Ibuki. Easy. You have a boyfriend back in Japan, remember? Don't ruin it! Don't… you… ruin it!

"You must be Ibuki." Val greeted in a handsome voice that was just mesmerizing to me. He already made it worse by standing there against the wall shirtless. Now it's his voice that's making my panties even wetter. "You're probably here to execute me."

"Uh…" I didn't wanna be dazed by his voice and his looks, but I was still. Eventually, I shook myself out of it and continued. "…yeah. Shaundo sent me here to get rid of you and your dangerous dogs."

"I see. Did you bring your team to go against my precious German Shepards?"

"Yep! I got Don-chan and Zaironica right here." Right when I said this, both of them approached me and stopped at my feet, having Don on my left and Zaironica on my right. "They're ready to take 'em on."

"And I see you have Miracle in your shirt." Val looked right where Miracle was and he was purring his cutest with a smile while I blushed… only because he was staring at my jugs as well… at least… I think he is. I hope not. "He seems comfortable between those ladies of yours." Eep! He called them 'Ladies'. He _is_ staring at them. Damn it! Now my tits are getting hard. Luckily, Miracle doesn't even feel them. "I feel for poor Miracle to suffer through what Stone did to him on that dreadful day that started all this. How is Shaundo?"

"He's fine. He's pretty comfortable with the mechanical arms he was forced to have." So far, Val isn't so bad. I just hope his dogs aren't the complete opposite, even though I have a crazy feeling in my chest that they are. "How come you're against Mark? Why do you hate him?"

"Interesting you should ask me that. Personally, I've hated him since this whole Tanuki Kickers group was assembled. I always thought it was just a clever, intimidating name, but when Mark told me that he was against the Tanuki Americans, I got a bit upset and wanted to rebel against him. Somehow, he heard about my rebellion and swore to kill me dead on right in his eyes, if I ever tried. I only hate him because he such a violent man. He'll do anything in his power to make sure you don't defeat him… even if he has to do what he should've done to Shaundo."

"Which was…?"

"Slice his entire body in half with a meat cleaver." Well, shizznit! Mark missed. He was gonna split Shaundo in half, but he ended up slicing his arms. "Since that maniacal man missed and got Shaundo's left arm instead, he decided to play along with it and just go ahead and slice off his other arm as well… just to make him suffer more misery."

"What a motherfuckin' douchebag! I can't wait to get to him!"

"Just use caution when you do. Trust me. Extremely violent is not an understatement when describing Mark's behavior." Awww, gee. No shit!

"Thanks for the tip, Val. Now, are we gonna do this Gladiator animal battle or what? Don and Zaironica are ready."

"I was going to, but after that conversation, you've piqued my interest. Instead of battling your animals, how about I forfeit and let me join you and Shaundo?" WHAT THE HELL?! This is… uh… totally unexpected. I got confused. Val saw that dumbfounded look on my face and chuckled, making my panties even wetter. Damn it! I hope Don and Miracle doesn't smell it. "I know this may seem shocking to you, but to be honest, I would never want to hurt your animals."

"What about Haley and Kayley?" Right after I said their names, they both came running out and sat right in front of me, like they were the most obedient dogs on the planet! I dared myself to kneel down and pet both of them between their ears and they never pounced on me! Don, Miracle, and Zaironica were all shocked to see this. Val hummed with deep thought. "Awww, they're cute… and Shaundo told me these dogs were extremely dangerous."

"They're only marked as dangerous because of their terrible reputation at greeting strangers they had when they were a year old. They're five years old now and I've trained them to be more… people-friendly. Only suspicious people will be attacked by them from now on."

"Wow…" Heh! Damn right, 'wow'. Val's the peacekeeper here. I like him… but I'm wondering about Velocity. He's another guy in the list that doesn't want to fight neither. "…so, what about Velocity? He's part of the Tanuki Kickers and doesn't wanna fight me either."

"Velocity is my stepbrother." HUH! No kidding! He sounded like he was just by saying his name! "It's too bad you have to kill a few more of our brethren in order to get to him. So, what do you say? Will you let me join you?" Oh, gosh. He sounds so nice and he's honest and all, but what would Shaundo and the police say? Miracle was fine with it and the same went for Don-chan and Zaironica.

"I would let you join me, but since you're on the wanted criminal list, well…"

"Say no more. I understand. It's better off if I just turn myself in."

"Well… uh…" Oh, damn. I can't believe I'm about to say this. Miracle saw how worried I looked and he gave me gentle pats on my right breast, giving me comfort. "…actually… the police sent me here to kill you. They actually want you and the rest of the Tanuki Kickers dead… and that goes with your dogs, too." Fuckin' crap! I hate to say something like this to someone who wants to team up with me. I hate that! I HATE IT SO DAMN MUCH! Anyway, when Val heard that from me, he frowned and so did his precious dogs. I really felt sorry for them. "I'm sorry, guys. It's not my rule. It's the police's."

"Hmmm…" Val hummed with sadness as he silently motioned for his dogs to return to him and they obeyed with literally no effort. His face of complete failure really touched my heart and I feared for the worst. Miracle watched with worry as well for a few seconds before he jumped outta my tank top and used his on-board propeller to fly towards Val and he gave him a hug on his face that was so tender, my eyes started to get watery. Don and Zaironica just sat there like good tanukis and watched with just as much sorrow. After the three minute embrace, Miracle reluctantly flew back towards me and immediately borrowed himself between my boobs, sending soft squeals of sadness vibrating through my chest. I used my left hand to gently console him while I continued to watch Val, Haley, and Kayley enter back into their beautiful home and it was silent for about five minutes… and they were the longest five minutes I've ever stood through before I heard what I didn't expect to hear:

_**BANG! BANG! BANG!**_

Miracle… cried… like… a baby after those three gunshots were heard. Don and Zaironica started crying after him, having Don console Zaironica with all his love. As for me…

…well… my watery eyes finally started leaking like a pair of waterfalls and even my sniffling added to it not to long afterwards. Val really did want to join us, but he just took in what I had to tell him and he used it as a message that he should kill himself and his dogs. Pretty soon, my crying got worse and I slowly sat on the sidewalk and held Miracle close as I started to cry like a baby myself, screaming at the top of my lungs in agony! Aw, man! I just… couldn't believe it! It was a rule, it had to be done… and for once, I'm feeling terrible about it. He was against Mark and everything! SHIT! It's not like me to kill innocent people, but it had to be done. We were all crying for the next seven minutes before we finally regained our composure and got back in the car.

As soon as we did, it was just silent for a moment. Miracle was still crying between my boobs and I felt his warm tears stream down my shirt, across my stomach, and stopped at my jeans. I leaned my head back, as if I was in pain, and held back as much of my tears as I could. Pretty soon afterwards, Shaundo came on the line through the on-board phone and, amazingly, he was sad, too. I heard him sniffling on the line for a few seconds over the speakers before he finally spoke.

"You okay, 'Buki?" Shaundo started after a few sniffles. I wiped away my tears as he continued. "Overheard the whole thang ova da phone, sweetheart. I ringed in right when I heard them gunshots."

"Yeah…" I managed to say between my cries. "…yeah, I'm fine, Shaundo. We had to do what had to be done, I guess. We had no choice. He was really sincere and everything. He wanted to join us, since he was against Mark."

"And I can tell that you neva wanted ta tell 'im dat we couldn't."

"It was painful just saying those words… literally. My chest was burning as I was telling him that he had to be killed."

"I know it's hard, sweetheart. Personally, I thought he was gonna be dangerous."

"Didn't we all?" And weren't we all fuckin' idiots at this point? Damn! "It's all over now. Val and his dogs are dead and another mission is complete, but uh… Shaundo… there's something I gotta tell ya…"

"What is it?" Remember how attracted I was to Val? Yeah, well… here it goes. Confessing the truth.

"Prior to all this, I was actually… attracted to him. He was so sexy, deep, and cute… but at the same time, he was a bad boy at heart and that's what I loved about him."

"Huh! No wonder you felt so much sadness towards him and his dogs."

"Yeah. I'm not gonna get in trouble for this, am I?"

"Well, since Val killed himself afterwards, I'd say you're as safe as an adopted orphan. Just… don't get attracted to anymo' of them Kickers, ya hear?!"

"Yes, sir." And the promise is carved in stone… forever.

"Don't you have a boyfriend back in Japan, though?"

"Yeah, I do… and he hasn't been giving me any support on all this." Seriously, where the hell is he?! Don cleared his throat after I said that and I looked at him. He showed a look of guilt. Uh, oh… "What's wrong, Don?"

"There's a good reason why he hasn't even heard about all this before we left." Don started professionally. I paid close attention. "He left ya weeks ago." WHAAAAAAAT?!

"Are you fuckin' serious?!" OH, HELL NO!

"Yep, it's the truth. I've seen him with other women for a while. I just… didn't gather the guts to tell ya earlier. I was afraid you might go crazy on me and try to kill me for it." Aww, no. I am upset that my boyfriend left me a long time ago, but would never… ever… hurt Don-chan. I grabbed my little brother and embraced him with all the love in my heart, having Miracle move onto my right shoulder right on time. "You're not going to, are you?"

"Don, no. I would never hurt you. I am pissed that you didn't tell me all this sooner, but still. Siblings for life and that's how it's gonna stay. Okay?"

"Thanks, Ibuki. I love you."

"I love you, too." I forgave him that quick and it felt good… and my chest feels better now, too. "So, Shaundo, what do we do now?"

"Head on back here at the Santuary and we'll discuss it over an Italian lunch I just happened to cook." Shaundo replied. Mmmm! Despite all this sadness, I am starving. I could use a good meal after all this.

Twenty minutes later, back at the Santuary…

Shaundo's entreé of Grilled Chicken Mozzarella Pasta was the most delicious dish I've ever tasted! That first bite made me smile for the first time in a while since Val's ordeal. Zaironica actually stayed with us at the kitchen table, eating her own bowl of the same dish with Don, who had his own bowl, on the floor. Miracle just had the leftover grilled chicken in his bowl, eating in his booster seat. It was silent for about three minutes before Shaundo finally started the conversation.

"Just finished talkin' to da police 'bout what happened back dere." He started with just a tiny bit of that leftover sadness in his sweet elderly country bumkin voice. "They thought he was dangerous as well, but they were shocked to find dat Val did kill his dogs in one shot each befo' shootin' himself in da head when they inspected his house. Personally, I thought Frankie was da only one."

Humph! So did I. "Yeah, me too." I kept a bit of sadness in my voice as well as I said this. It never left my head… and I don't think it ever will. "So, will Mark know about this one?"

"I doubt it, but if he does, well… you'll know what's comin' fo' ya." Damn right, I will! "Now, 'bout dis boyfriend of yo's… what's his name?"

"Ryan Fransho. He's about as nice as any boy I've met since high school and he finally breaks up with me after so long. What did I do?"

"He probably didn't wanna be takin' down from high class society and have da fact that he's been datin' a ninja." WHAT?! Ryan thinks I'm a poor misfit?! Well, fuck him then! Humph! Bastard! My red face showed that anger, too, making Shaundo show a face that was just as mean. "Despite ya having a bangin' body, he still sees your ninja life."

"I guess my looks didn't matter. He was a no-good lazy-ass bastard anyway. All he cared about was he, himself, and his fuckin' skateboard! Ugh!"

"I'm… guessin' he was unemployed."

"Yeah. I tried to tell him to get a job so many times and he never did."

"Well, ya don't deserve 'im anyway. Since dis mission went by so quick fo' ya, how's 'bout I treat ya out on a date wit my son?" Shaundo has a son?! Wow. I hope he cute.

"Yeah, sure. I never knew you were a father."

"Well, long befo' da whole 'Mark and the Tanuki Kickers' fiasco, I met and fell in love with my lovely wife, RaiKhana. She was from da Bahamas, but she had a British accent. We were married for 'bout 37 years before she passed away wit a heart attack. Befo' dat, though, we made love on our 14th wedding anniversary and gave birth to our one and only son: Malakhai Jeffery Wellason. He's twenty-three years old now and he just finished getting his Bachelor's Degree in Technology… oh, and uh… did I fo'get to mention that he's single?" OOOoooh! So far, he sounds convincing.

"He sounds dreamy. Does he look like you?"

"Dat's da funny part. He looks mo' like his Mama, but he has my muscles dat I used to have befo' I turned 45. In other words, you know how Zangief looks like, right?"

"Yeah." How can I not know? I know that Red Cyclone anywhere.

"Well, Malakhai has that much muscle and den some." Holy fuck! "He has bright Hazel Brown eyes, 6 foot 9, long light brown hair that stops at his waist, and he's offically proclaimed as the sexiest man in Atlanta. Dat's how I'm so rich. Since I'm his father, I get da fame from him and so does he. He's just as rich as me. Da only problem is dat he doesn't visit me as often as he use ta because of da whole Tanuki Kicker problem. He doesn't wanna be at risk of being an additional target. He still loves me though." Again, ho… ly… FUCK! His son is super sexy, but gentle all at once. I'll be lucky to date the sexiest man in Atlanta. Don looked up at me and saw the horniest smile on my face. I'm… gonna need to change my panties… and my jeans… and clean this chair. I'm wetter than a pissed-on diaper! Tee, hee, hee! "Sounds delicious, right?"

"Hell yeah!" I exclaimed with happiness while Don-chan just shook his head with a smile of humor. I was ready to date Malakhai. Oh! Such a hot name! I love him already. "Has he broken any hearts lately?"

"Oh, no. Even though every young woman in dis city wants a piece of 'im, he keeps himself at a good distance from 'em until he finds 'da one'… and I believe _you_… are it. I have no damn doubt in my mind 'bout it." YES! Don sighed with even more humor.

"Aw, boy…" He muttered. "She's desperate and I can smell it." Oops! I was… hoping he wouldn't. Hearing that from Don made Shaundo chuckle.

"Gettin' wet down dere, eh?" He asked me between chuckles. I giggled as I blushed and nodded with honesty right when I finished my lunch and felt how wet the chair was. "You go on ahead and take a shower befo' yo' date. I'll call Malakhai befo' I clean dat chair."

"Okay." That's all I had to say before I got up from my drenched seat and went upstairs, trying so hard to ignore the mess I made in my pants. It was literally going down my legs now and I waddled upstairs, looking completely stupid. Ta, ha, ha, ha! Look out, Malakhai.

Horny-Buki's coming for ya.

To be continued…

(Just a small note: that word "Shizznit"… that was a word I create myself straight out of my head at work one day and it just stuck to me ever since. I find it funny. Please do tell me what ya'll think so far, but be careful. I am highly flammable.)


	7. Chapter 7: Meeting Malakhai

Chapter 7: Meeting Malakhai Jeffery Wellason

I'm just getting in the shower after I literally wet myself thinking about meeting Shaundo's son, Malakhai. As I was just getting myself soaked in the steamin' hot water, I just couldn't help but giggle every few seconds. The whole description about Malakhai was just delicious to me and I couldn't wait to meet him tonight. Since Val's mission went by so fast… and uh… ended on a pretty miserable note, dating Malakhai is probably the best thing I'll need after an event like that… just to let all the stress and sorrow permanently wash away from my mind. Don was in the bathroom with me, sitting on the closed lid of the toilet as always while Miracle was sitting on the sink next to him, keeping a smile on his face. Hearing about Malakhai actually cheered him up a little, even after Val's predicament.

"Are you just about done giggling, Ibuki?" Don asked me with partial humor in his voice. I was literally having a very serious case of the giggles and he cured it for me right after that question. I cleared my throat to stop it and I resumed my shower normally. "Good. I was getting worried. I mean, I know that waddle was embarrassing, but it wasn't that funny."

"To me it was." I protested playfully. Seriously, who's he kiddin'? It was funny as hell! Tee, hee! Miracle squealed in agreement with me. "I was just getting so wet thinking about Malakhai."

"He kinda does sound like a swell fella. Being called the sexiest man in Atlanta, he ought to please every woman who sees him."

"And that's a big deal for him, I bet. He's about to meet his girlfriend tonight and he'll be the happiest man in the world by then."

"Ya think?"

"Yeah." And I never let that leave my mind. I was just rinsing off my body by the time I finished this conversation and was ready to wash my hair. "Do you think he'll be offended if I told him about how my Tanuki Kicker missions are going so far? I mean, I know he doesn't wanna be involved in all that shit and everything and I don't wanna ruin the mood so quickly."

"Eh, probably. Best not bring it up unless he asks you about them otherwise." Somehow, I know he was gonna say that. Hmm! I guess I better ask the important questions first before I mention the missions. "I only hope he doesn't try anything sexy right off when you meet him." TA-HA! Deep down, I want him to! But, since this is our first meeting…

"Even if he does, I'll be ready. I won't even beg him to do it."

"Pfff! Says the woman who calls herself 'Horny-buki' sometimes." Mm! Ain't… it… the… fuckin'… truth?!

Ten minutes later, after that refreshing shower…

I was looking for my best outfit to wear for my date. Don and Miracle were just lying on the bed like good tanukis during that time and Miracle started a conversation this time with his cute squeals. I giggled with a smile as I remained focused in the closet.

"You've met Malakhai already?" I asked him. Miracle squealed again in multiple tones and I nodded. "I'm glad he seems nice to ya. I guess he is a gentle giant, huh?" Miracle squealed once this time. "Ah! Of course! I love men like that. I think that's sexy in my opinion."

"Of course, you do." Don muttered.

"C'mon, Don." I slightly turned by head towards them while I finished. "Having a man being a gentle giant means he won't be at risk of hurting women… at least, not women he respects."

"But, I've seen those kind of men before. They may be gentle on the inside, but they can get rough sometimes."

"Don't worry about me, Don. I'm sure Malakhai keeps his reputation alive at this point. I have faith in him already and I haven't even met him yet." Right after I said this, I finally found the perfect outfit for my date: a purple V-neck t-shirt that had the collar pretty low, a matching purple jean short skirt, and white suspenders with black leather knee-high boots. Overall, I was gonna be sexy-cute… and I'm sure Malakhai won't be complaining. Tee, hee!

Five minutes later, downstairs…

I just made it down the stairs with Miracle on my left shoulder this time. He really wants me to make a great first impression towards Malakhai today and this t-shirt is workin' my cleavage. Yeah, baby! Anyway, Shaundo just finished cleaning the chair I soaked earlier before he saw me looking my cutest and smiled.

"Awww, look at you, 'Buki!" He started in that sweet elderly voice I love so much. "Lookin' adorable, but sexy all at once. Malakhai will surely treat ya like a princess by da time he gets here."

"That's what I'm aiming for." I admitted proudly while I popped my suspenders in the same way, making Miracle stumble a little, but he regained himself afterwards. I don't mean to do that. Honest! "Does he focus on how a woman dresses?"

"He doesn't do dat too often, 'cause he knows that'll ruin his image. Instead, he focuses on a woman's face befo' e'rythang else."

"Well, then… he'll be drooling at this face."

"I'll have ta agree wit ya on dat… but um… for yo' safety on dis date, Miracle has ta stay here." Upon hearing that, Miracle squealed with shock right next to my ear. It was loud as Hell, but I don't care. He was upset and I hate it when he gets upset. Poor little guy. Shaundo proved his point by approaching me before he gently picked sweet lil' Miracle up with his huge metal hands, making the desperate Tanuki American whine even louder, crying the heaviest tears I've ever seen from him, nearly making me tear up with him. "Sorry, Miracle. Dis is Ibuki's date, okay? Let her meet Malakhai herself." Again, Miracle just couldn't stop squealing and Shaundo held him close to calm him down… at least… _try _to. "Awww, my goodness. He wanted ta come. You two have gotten dat close, huh?"

"It happened so fast, yeah." I replied after I blinked away my incoming tears. "I'll have to agree with ya, though. Miracle will be much safer here. It's only for this one time. I promise, Miracle." The poor little fella never heard me and just continued to wail. I proved my statement by slowly approaching Shaundo and Miracle before I gently gave the little guy a sweet kiss on his left cheek. That instantly made him calm down and look up at me with sorrow in those beautiful cobalt blue eyes as he continued to whine softly this time. I really feel bad on the inside, but I'm excited about my date with Malakhai on the outside. I wiped away Miracle's tears as I continued. "It'll be the first time we've separated since I met ya, but I'm sure you'll be fine. Malakhai will surely take good care of me on our date. Don't worry about me, okay? I'll be back soon." After I said those loving words, Miracle's whining finally stopped and he leaped towards me for a hug by snuggling between my boobs with the cutest smile. I couldn't help but giggle. Tee, hee! See? Told ya!

"Awww, I can tell ya'll _have_ been close." Shaundo commented before Miracle finally became a good boy and went back to the old geezer after that thirty second snuggle. "When I called Malakhai, he told me that he wants ta treat ya like royalty, so he's gonna treat ya to a pretty fancy restaurant, but it also doubles as a nightclub in the back of da place as well." Ooooooh! Fancy! "It ain't cheap to eat there and, da only way you can get in… is if you make a reservation… and dat's exactly what Malakhai did."

"Sweet!" Right after that was said, the doorbell rang. There he is. Hearing about him already made me wetter than a soaked towel. _Seeing _him… ugh! I… might need another shower… _might_. "That must be him!"

"Yep!" Shaundo added as he headed for the door to answer it. "Right on time. Ibuki, here's Malakhai." As soon as he said that last statement, he opened the door and… whoa. I… I… I was speechless. He looked exactly like how Shaundo described him… from his beautiful hazel brown eyes down to his long light brown hair and those extremely impressive muscles for someone who makes Zangief look like a wimp! He even wore a pretty sexy black leather vest with even hotter baggy blue jeans with the purest white sneakers I've ever seen in my entire life! And at his height at 6 foot 9, damn! I… only hope his car has the top down. "Well, what do ya think of 'im?" What do you THINK I think of him? Hell, he should be dubbed as the sexiest man on Earth! Shit!

"…uh?" Was all I could mutter. I finally maintained my drooling pussy and Shaundo chuckled at my stunned face. I… do look pretty dumbfounded right now. Sheesh.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh… she's intimidated by ya, son." He told his only sexy son, who chuckled with him and… oooooh, fuck. Easy, pussy. Easy…

"It appears so, Father." Malakhai agreed in that extremely deep male voice I expected outta him… and he called Shaundo 'Father', not 'Dad'. He's charming and smart. Love it! "I actually expected this reaction."

"As with all the other women, right?"

"Yeah. She's cute." Eep! Now my clit's going insane! I'm gonna lose it if I don't speak up and say hi. "So, this is Ibuki?"

"Yep! Her boyfriend just left her and her heart's as empty as mine when it comes ta thinkin' 'bout yo' Mama. God bless her soul."

"Awww. Well, since I'm treating her like a queen, I better cheer her up as best I can. I've heard about the whole Val case." WHAT?! He already heard?! Hearing that finally made my crotch feel a whole lot better. I still didn't say a word as the father and son pair continued. "He wanted to join you all and Ibuki was deeply saddened by the whole thing."

"Her, Miracle, Don, and Zaironica… all of 'em. They were all devastated, but they're feeling a lil' better by now."

"Good. Ibuki, how do you feel?"

"I feel okay." I finally spoke after all that… especially after my pussy went nuts earlier. "Can… you not bring that up anymore, please?"

"Consider it done. Shall we get going?"

"Yeah." I approached him and he really did tower over me, but he's still hot, damn it! "Are you sure you wanna go to an expensive restaurant having both of us dressed like this?" I started to image the nightclub/restaurant in my head as I asked Malakhai this question. He chuckled that sexy chuckle again and I smiled with him this time, hiding my anxious kitty down there.

"It's a casual restaurant, so anything goes… as long as you don't reveal too much skin." Huh! Good enough to me, I guess. Besides, the only skin I'm showin' are my arms, legs, and this sexy cleavage my t-shirt's showin' for the entire world to see. Tee, hee! "Are you ready to go now?"

"Ready." I gently grabbed his huge right hand and we were off on our date. Shaundo and Miracle waved goodbye to us as we got in his super cool XJ220 convertible. I started to wonder where the hell he got this car from. They don't make this car into convertibles. I decided to make that the start of my first alone conversation with this extremely handsome gentleman as he just drove off towards the nightclub. "Uh… Malakhai?"

"Yes?" He replied, keeping those beautiful eyes focused on the road, making him look so regal. Damn!

"Where exactly did you get this car?"

"I had it custom made by a close high school friend of mine. He graduated with top honors and became an expert in cars pretty quickly."

"How much did it cost?" Is Malakhai rich, too? Geez!

"Only 70,000 dollars." _Only_ 70,000 dollars, huh? Yeah, he's… uh… pretty fuckin' rich. "Why'd you ask, Ibuki?"

"I've seen this car back in Japan and they never made a model like this."

"Oh. Curious as always. Exactly what I expected from you. How has Miracle been to you then?"

"He's been great!" I _love _talking about my little buddy, Miracle! I never get bored talking about him. "We've been so close since the whole mission started. As a matter of fact, before you got to the house, he cried like a baby when Shaundo told him he couldn't join us."

"Yeah, that's Miracle. He's never gotten that close to anyone in a long time. The only other person he's that close to is my Father… especially after Mark and Stone nearly butchered him."

"How come you don't visit your Dad too often?" I had to ask him this one. I was worried. "Don't you miss him?"

"I do… dearly, but until Mark and his deadly Tanuki Killer team are destroyed, I'm keeping as much distance from him as possible… just for his safety as well as mine."

"Oh, wow." That's just touching to me. He's huge physically and his heart is just as big. That's so sweet. I smiled after I said this. "So, I guess I was right about you being a gentle giant."

"As gentle as I'll ever be." As soon as that was said, we finally made it to the place. It was pretty big! "Well, here we are: The Velvet Dragon. You're not shy at these things, are you?" Uh… no.

"No, not really. I haven't been to a nightclub in a while, though. Usually, my ex used to take me, but eh, what can he do now?"

"Glad you feel that way. C'mon, Ibuki." Malakhai turned off the engine before he got outta the car and I followed him inside, hearing the car alarm beep when he set it on the way. Just as I suspected, there was a bouncer at the entrance, checking for IDs, and there was pretty lengthy line, but um…

"Malakhai, shouldn't we be in line over there?" I asked him with confusion. Seriously, where the fuck is this sexy man taking me? Malakhai only chuckled at me as a response, probably because he thinks my voice is just downright adorable to hear… and I do admit it. I am pretty cute in the vocal department… and sorry to brag about it. My answer was almost there as we reached a pretty thick medal door in the rear end of this huge building. By the time we got there, another guy opened a sliding peep hole and I saw a pair of brown eyes through it.

"Password?" The low country male voice asked behind the eyes. Malakhai didn't even give himself a chance to think as he simply replied by saying:

"Miracle."

"Welcome back, Malakhai." Wow! Miracle was the password? Huh! Coincidence, I guess. After that was done, we both were allowed inside and what I saw was just… whoah! Super cool dance floor! Colorful lights all over the place, jammin' hip-hop music was playing at the loudest, and there were literally hundreds of people already up and dancing to the awesome music! Damn, I'm in heaven!

"Like it so far, Ibuki?" Malakhai dared to ask me, knocking me out of my trance for a moment. His voice is just so… mmm-mm!

"Yeah, I love it!" I replied with all the glee in my heart. "It's all coming back to me now."

"Good. How about we get to know each other a little bit more first through a good dinner?"

"Sounds good to me, yeah! I'm starving!"

Malakhai became quite the gentleman as he held my hand and led me to a table for two with a cute little candle in the middle. He was even more of a gentleman by pulling out my chair for me! Nobody… and I do mean _NOBODY_… has never pulled out a chair for me before! Shaundo really wasn't lying when he said that his son would treat me like this and holy shit! I had to secretly cross my legs tightly to hide how horny I was getting because of it! I can tell this is gonna be a long night.

"So, Ibuki…" Malakhai started, making my legs get even tighter. Damn, I love his voice! So deep… so mesmerizing. Mm-mm-mm! "…how are the missions going so far?" And he brings up the missions first before the good shit… with a smile?! YES! It's gonna be a long night, alright!

"Well, they've been pretty crazy." I replied, keeping my composure. "Frankie was the worst… and he was first one!"

"I've heard about that. He literally had you chop him up to bits, didn't he?"

"And I was sicker than Don-chan after that. Yuck!" Seriously, I don't wanna talk about him anymore. Frankie…was… a fuckin' douche! "Anyway, did you just wanna get that out the way?"

"Just wanna hear your thoughts on all this drama with the Tanuki Kickers… since you've heard mine." Ooooooh! So polite! Love it!

"Oh, okay."

"My father tells me that your previous boyfriend left you with practically no remorse."

"Yeah. He was a deadbeat boyfriend, anyway. I didn't need him."

"I can tell. Now, here's the biggest question in my book… especially since it's about you." Uh, oh… here it comes.

"What is it?"

"Are you really as good of a ninja as many people say you are?" Yep, there's the start of the good shit.

"Yeah, totally! I've just gotten to the Grandmaster rank and I already feel like a true master!"

"I can tell. It's no wonder you were able to execute Ralph with so much precision."

"Ralph was asleep! Even if he was awake, I would've still taken him on and kicked his ass down to Hell where he belongs… especially after imprisoning his wife like that. Ugh!"

"Some things people won't do for love these days, huh?"

"Ain't it the truth?"

"Your turn." My turn? Ohhh, my turn to ask _him _a question. I like this!

"Okay, uh…" Since he started out cool, I'm starting out personal. "…what exactly do you do as a pastime?"

"Well, I like to write and read a few books, go on beautiful scenic walks around forests and valleys, and, of course, help my father out behind closed doors… especially Miracle." He's pretty _busy_ for someone who's rich. Tee, hee. Love his hobbies. They match his cool, calm, and collected personality perfectly!

"Awww, super cool! I'll bet your first meeting with Miracle was pretty adorable."

"He was traumatized when I first met him because it took place just a day after the mechanical surgeries on both my father and Miracle. He couldn't control his robotic tail at the time and I was practically all he needed to get him used to it since my father couldn't do it at the time." Oh… my God! I can already envision him holding cute lil' Miracle in Malakhai's arms right now and he would fit right in the palm of his hand! Awwwww! So CUTE! Damn, I love this guy! "How was your first encounter with Miracle?" His turn, I guess. Excellent question, too!

"It was just as touching as yours. He was a little shy about meeting me for a quick minute, but he got used to me after a while. His favorite place for his Miracle Badge of Protection on me: between these ladies right here." I playfully jiggled my precious boobs to prove my point and his sexy smile proved that he enjoyed that small performance. "I mean, he snuggles himself reeeeeeally good in there… just to make sure he doesn't fall out during our missions."

"I've heard about that Miracle Badge of Protection. Violators pay a hefty fine for even plucking out one of his hairs."

"Yep, and I heard that everybody in this city knows how much it'll cost 'em and don't even dare to pet him!"

"That's typical, yes. The Tanuki Kickers themselves don't even try to violate the badge as well, right?"

"Yep!" Damn, he's so spot on tonight! "So…" Here goes my good shit of a question. "…how does it feel to be the sexiest man in Atlanta?" And I asked it with so much seduction in my voice. I can tell he really wants to share it just by looking at me with that super sexy smile of his.

"It feels pretty good. I never thought I could actually get that title, though. When the mayor made that announcement to the public on the first day I became that rank, I was actually pretty shy." Awww, Malakhai? Shy? Weird to put in the same sentence.

"You surely don't look like the shy type."

"Even big men like me can get timid sometimes. I'll bet you were shy when many people thought you were the cutest kunoichi since Maki's existence." Damn, I forgot about Maki! I blushed after he said this to admit it.

"Tee, hee… yeah." Right after I said this, our order finally came: Terriyaki tilapia filets with a side of white rice and sautéed broccoli and dumplings in a separate bowl. Damn, it all looked delicious. I was starving! "Oooooh! How did you know I love tilapia?"

"Wild guess." Malakhai admitted as he took in his first forkful of his plate and he even looked sexy eating it. I crossed my legs even tighter at this point and he still never suspected a thing about it as he continued. "Come to think of it, tilapia is my favorite seafood as well."

"Really?! Awesome! That's one thing we have in common!" I took in my first forkful after I said this and… holy shizznit! It… was… orgasmic to my tongue! MMmmmmm! Malakhai could tell I was really enjoying it and he chuckled that oh-so-sexy chuckle again with his signature charming smile.

"It's been a while since you've had this, huh?"

"Hell, yeah!" This night was getting better and better by the minute and I'm enjoying every moment of it. "Eating this takes me back to when I first became a ninja. This was the first lunch I ever had when I was fourteen."

"Aww, that's good to hear." We kept quiet for the rest of our dinner and never took our eyes off of each other the whole time. During that time, my sixth sense kicked into high gear and I literally read his mind. His beautiful hazel brown eyes were really working hard to try to see my entire outfit under the table and his horny smile… yes, I said _horny_ smile… showed how anxious he wanted to get to know me physically. Believe it or not, though, I'm actually wearing a sexy thong under this skirt. He has no idea, though… and I can't wait to show him a little later. I knew he would love this outfit on me and I showed an irresistible smile on my face to prove how much I appreciated his stare… and he sent the same smile right back at me! This scene went on for what seemed like forever, having us both take our sweet time eating.

Ten minutes later…

We still continued to stare at each other, even long after we belched with satisfaction from our meals. I peered back into Malakhai's mind again and I saw that huge level of anxiety build up even more. I'll bet he has an impressive erection going on down there by now and, if he was, he was already good at hiding it very well. Two more minutes went by and a super sick hip-hop beat just started at full blast with a rhythm that was just hypnotizing to every single dancer in the club. Since we were done eating, I felt like dancing. Malakhai looked as though he read that thought in my mind as he stood up and offer a big strong hand to me with that cute smile.

"Wanna dance?" He asked me politely. I looked up at him with my signature endearing smile before I gently grabbed it and I stood up, walking around the table as I did. "You _can _dance, can you?"

"You'll see, won't you?" I taunted with a wink as we walked side-by-side towards the still crowded dance floor. We squeezed through a good number of dancers until we made it to about the very center of the extremely roomy dance floor and we started off easy, dancing separately. Malakhai was quite the dancer himself. I can tell he probably used to take some sort of dance class back in probably middle or high school. I decided to tell him through the loud music. "You're a pretty good dancer, Malakhai! Are those actually hip-hop moves you're doing?!"

"Yeah!" Malakhai replied in a yell back at me as we still danced separately. "I took a few classes in college and became a pro in a matter of only two weeks!" Are you serious? He became a master dancer in less than a month?! No wonder he's so good at it… and I'm enjoying it.

"Oh, wow! I never knew that!" I showed off some impressive moves of my own, nearly mesmerizing Malakhai. I kinda mixed some of my ninja reflexes with my street dancing and I became a sensation towards this sexy giant.

Five minutes into the dance and the music was still playing, the beat getting better and better each time. The vibes from it finally got to our inner desires towards each other and it started out sexy. After a good swift turn, ending with my back facing him, I started grinding right on his crotch with a sexy smile over my shoulder and I was performing it perfectly in sync with the beat of the music. That seductive look on Malakhai's face showed how much he liked it and he looked super sexy as he started to sorta grind right back at me. Damn, already… it was feeling hot up in here… and it literally was, but that didn't stop us as we continued our sexy grind session.

Another three minutes in and I got too cute and confident as I just focused my ass by itself against his baggy jeans and I was having my hands on my knees and Malakhai was shocked to see me dance like that. He continued to play along, despite the surprise I was giving him, and he gave me the hottest smack on my ass, making me giggle, but never spoke a word. All I did was smile as usual, making him return it to me with those majestic eyes of his.

After about a good four minutes of that spicy moment, I seductively grinded myself back towards him, having my left arm around his neck while his huge hands were around my waist. During that time, Malakhai slowly leaned down towards my ear and even his whispering voice was making me grind on him even harder.

"Where'd you learn to shake that ass like that, baby?" He asked me with a sexual drawl in his semi-whispering voice. I gave him a cute and sexy side-glance as I spoke.

"Just a wild guess on how to do it." I admitted in the same whisper. I felt how hard he was against my booty and damn! He was soooooo ready for me. "I know you want this ass."

"You already know me too well at this point, Ibuki. I'm impressed." He slowed down the grinding just a bit after he said this and… oooooooh, shhhhit… he was working his covered dick right up between by butt cheeks! He… he knows I'm wearing a thong! YES! "Mmmmm… and judging by your smooth ass I'm feeling, even through my jeans, I'd say you are worthy of shaking it more for me behind closed curtains." Oh, God! He is so charming! After he said that, he gave me some hot and wet kisses on my neck, making me lean my head back as I moaned with appreciation, still grinding up against my butt like a horny college boy. "Are you up for it?" What? Right now?

"Um… that depends." I was ready, but I wanted to make sure whether he meant now or not. Malakhai saw how intimidating I was getting and he chuckled.

"Mmm! Too cute… I love you, Ibuki… I want you to show me your love. You've made me grow right beneath you." Did I now? Mmm-hmmm! Yeah, baby. You know I couldn't resist asking him about it… and I did, adding a seductive tone to my cute voice.

"Hope you don't mind me asking how big you've gotten." He's fun to tease. I can tell. Malakhai snuck a hand under my skirt and… (gasp)… oh… oh, my God! He's… he's… HE'S… MMMMMM!

"Damn, you're so wet. You've been waiting for this for a while ever since we got here, haven't you?" All I could do was groan and moan as responses. His pointer finger was literally where my hard clit was and I ended up humping that finger with his rhythm, making me grind my ass on him even further! "That's what I thought. If you must know how big I've gotten, when we first got here, I was an average five inches. Now, ever since we've started dancing, I've grown long and hard to about ten inches. Can you feel it against that cute ass of yours?"

"Ye… yes… yes, I can." I managed to say through my moans. I was in heaven right now and we were practically having 'dry sex' at this point. None of the other dancers didn't even look at us. They were too busy enjoying themselves, but still. It felt like it was just Malakhai and I alone at this point and never wanted this moment to end. "It feels sooooooo good! How good are you at… oooh… at making love?" I figured I could match his wits when it came to using smart terms, but he protested something I said by spanking my ass hard, making me groan in both pain and pleasure.

"First of all, Ibuki…" He started in an even deeper version of his already sexy deep voice, nearly growling within it as well. I grew a little nervous as he continued. "…I don't _make love_. Even though I don't have any experience yet, I can tell you this: When that time comes to show you how much I want you, I won't _make love_ to you… I'll fuck you… hard… as humanly possible as I can. So, it'll seem as though I'm raping you, but I'm not. You've been so caring to poor little Miracle and my beloved Father since you've arrived and you definitely deserve some good fuckin' shit." He spanked me again after sexy speech and I groaned even louder, even though it was still inaudible through the music. Only Malakhai heard it and he chuckled with the most seductive horny smile I've ever seen on any man. My nervousness was gone instantly by the time I finally gathered the strength to look over my right shoulder to see that face and my moans got even louder while I was still grinding on his hidden dick and his horny finger simultaneously. "So, I'll ask you… Sexy-buki… do you think you can handle me?"

"After hearing all that shit…" I started seductively. "…I'd say hell yeah, Malakhai. I can handle your delicious dick."

"Mmmm… you foresaw how good this will get. Well, in that case…" We finally eased up off the dancing and I straightened up my skirt for a moment before he started walking off towards the bar and I followed him not too long after, staying close to him. That whole… entire… experience… was just so tasty to me! He was ready the whole time himself and that made him unleash that wild side of his usually quiet self. And the most shocking part about it all was the fact that nobody around us… _nobody…_ saw the entire thing! What the fuck, dude?! How can nobody see all that?! Either way, though, I still enjoyed it and I was ready to see how Malakhai makes lov… I mean… _fucks _me.

When we approached the bar, there was this old guy in his fifties doing his best job being the baddest bartender in Atlanta. He saw Malakhai and I and he instantly gave us his full attention.

"Hey! Malakhai!" He greeted to us… well, specifically Malakhai. I only smiled as I stood next to him, looking my cutest. "Long time no see."

"It's good to see you, Freddie." He greeted sweetly.

"Is that… Ibuki?" I winked at him right after he said this and he chuckled. "We-heh-heh-hell, now. Looks like you two had a good time out there. I saw you two in the middle there. What… uh… what was happenin'?"

"We've gotten comfortable enough for me to show her how much of a man I am while she shows me that cute booty of hers."

"She's wearin' a thong under that skirt, isn't she?"

"You guessed it."

"HA! I knew it. You wanna fuck her, don't ya?"

"Again, you guessed it."

"You look confident. You haven't been able to do it to a woman at all since you got that Sexiest Man in Atlanta title. Ibuki's your first."

"And I'm sure it'll be worth it."

"Ha, ha! That's my boy! You two horny birds follow me. I have a special secret room that nobody knows about. You did get in here from the back, didn't ya?"

"Yes."

"Then, you two _do _deserve to use this room. Follow me."

A few minutes later…

Freddie just opened a really thick metal door and there was this room that was red and purple all over, even on some of the furniture, and there was even a sliding glass door facing a huge uninhabited grassy plain under the moonlight. Overall, it was… some kind of… _playroom._ Malakhai looked as though he's seen this room before and, as for me, well…

"What the…? What is this place?" I asked the men. Freddie spoke up.

"This is what I call The Velvet Playroom. Nobody has used this room yet and you two are the first to try it." He replied with confidence. "I'm sure ya'll will play nice in here." Humph! Judging by that horny look on Malakhai's face… and after he said that he doesn't make love… he _fucks as hard as humanly possible_… I'll have to say that playing nice is totally gonna be an understatement after this night's over. Yeech! "Ya'll… will play nice in here, right?"

"Freddie, I… I gotta be honest with you." I finally spoke, showing determination in my adorable face. "Having it being called _playing nice_ is totally an understatement." There! I said it! Malakhai wasn't intimidated at all. He just showed a smug smile on his face. Freddie laughed. I really don't find that funny.

"You already know him well enough, eh?"

"Yeah. He knew I was wearing a thong the whole time and nearly fucked me with his finger!"

"Well, that lets you know that he has some dirty secrets that even his own Father doesn't know about." WHAAAAT? Are you serious? That… doesn't sound good. That means that there's a good chance that Miracle might not know about it, either. Still, though, I'm ready to get a good ol' fashioned fuck-fest going here. I'm sure Shaundo and Miracle will understand after all this is over. "Did he warn ya already?"

"That he fucks 'as hard as humanly possible' instead of make love? Yeah, he warned me." I showed a seductive smile on my face as I said this and even Malakhai started to grab right where his dick was with his left hand and I saw him. Ooooh, baby… I'll bet it's begging for my wet pussy right now. Freddie saw our faces and he got the message quickly as he made his way the same metal door we came in from, making us turn towards him at full attention. "We'll _play nice_ alright. Don't worry about us."

"Good. I'll leave you two alone then. See ya." After that, the proprietor finally left us and I looked down at where Malakhai's left hand was on his crotch and he never released it, keeping his horny stare in check as well as mine.

"Look at you, horn-dog." I quoted seductively as I approached him and gently grabbed his dick for him this time, releasing his grip just milliseconds prior. "You did grow a little bit. It's not my first time, ya know."

"I know this, but it's my first… but I've had some references to help me gain the knowledge."

"Movies?"

"Books and movies, yes."

"Good. Well, I'm ready to take you on." I got even closer to him and he lifted me up by my creamy soft booty, bringing my face so close to his as I whispered in his partially open mouth: "Fuck me hard and give me all you got, Malakhai! GIVE IT ALL TO ME!" After I screamed out that last part, I frantically engulfed him in a kiss that was just… mm! Shit! Our tongues were literally wrestling each other in our mouths and his gentle massage on my ass made me hump him right on his hard, ten inch monster of a cock!

He said he can only fuck me…

…and that's exactly what I plan to do to him.

_Fuck him… as hard… as HUMANLY possible!_

To be continued…


	8. Chapter 8: Humanly Possible Sex

Chapter 8: Humanly Possible Sex

Oh, for the love of fuck! Malakhai and I were at it in probably less than a minute after that intense kiss we shared. For his first time, his instincts were just… gruesome… in a good way. After that full minute of that tongue-lashing kiss, he growled with anxiety as he held me up by my ass and nearly rammed my back into the indestructible concrete and drywall combination of that wall, deepening the kiss even more as he tried to rip off the shirt. That hit on my back didn't hurt me at all and I just grunted with effort as I pulled out of his hungry mouth. Shit, his eyes looked so sexy when they were sinister lookin' like that. We were both panting heavily like a pair of dogs after a hot day out at the park… and that's all we were hearing for a few seconds before I finally spoke.

"Damn, Malakhai." I sighed breathlessly. Seriously, he was looking hungry in that face as I continued. "You said this is your first time, right?"

"Yes." Malakhai replied just as tiredly. "I'm sorry if I was too rough on you. You just tasted divine to me." Ooooooh, baby. He's so sweet and polite and even after that short introduction… damn.

"It's okay. I kinda like it rough, baby." I know he was relieved to hear that from an innocent-looking girl like me. He smiled with bravery after I said this and squeezed my ass even harder, making me hump back at him and… aaaahhh, fuck. I felt his monstrosity of a dick again! I really wanna fuck him now. "If you're gonna fuck me as hard as humanly possible, you gotta show me how you do it."

"That can be arranged, my love." Malakhai really meant business at the very second he placed me back down on my feet. He took off his vest and he looked even tastier than I thought, especially since he smothered himself in sweat from that intense moment we had earlier. A few seconds later, he finally ripped off my shirt with literally one huge tug and there I was… completely topless in front of him for the first time. His smile became horny as he scanned me with those regal-looking eyes. "Mm-hmm. Even your breasts appear to be ready for what I have in store for you. Are you sure you want to be a bad girl and be as rough as I am?"

"I'd love to be your bad girl, motherfucker." Mm! Shit, I was enjoying this. Malakhai wanted me to be a bad girl… so that's what I'm gonna be. I kept my seductive smile on my face as he started being my commander for a while. "Give it to me! Make me your bitch, Malakhai." Damn, that's hot!

"Affirmative." Ooooh, fuck… my… my pussy is… aaahhh. "Now, drop to your knees and _only _your knees. You may use your hands for support, if you wish." I obeyed his command and I ended up sitting like a dog for a moment as Malakhai walked a little closer to me. Oh, my God! His crotch was right at my face by the time he was a close as he could get! Shit, I can taste it now. "Good girl. Now, if you want this cock, you gotta get it yourself. Let's see how well you can fetch it out."

I never said a word after that was said. I really didn't have anything to say anyway… because all that was on my mind right now was his dick in my mouth. I got as close to him as I could and, after grabbing his black leather belt, I smelled his authentic scent and moaned as my pussy was just going crazy. I took my sweet time loosening his belt and he kept his eyes on me the whole time with the hottest smile he's ever done, probably admiring how cute I am right now. When I finally got that stubborn belt off, I started to unbutton his jeans and pulled down the zipper. Ohhhh, yes… come to Mommy-buki, big boy. I finally pulled down both his boxers and his jeans at the same time and… WHEW! Whoa!

"…oooooh…" That moan came out of my mouth with lust written all over it, making Malakhai chuckle. His dick was indeed a monster and I was ready to taste it. I know I had to wait for his permission first. "…so big, baby."

"Taste it, then." Malakhai commanded with practically no sign of nervousness in that sexy voice of his. "I'm ready for anything you give me from this point on." Yes! Exactly what I love to hear.

After he said that last statement, I sure was ready now. I admired his delicious dick for a little while, giving it a pretty damn good massage all over, including his juicy balls. He finally groans for the first time and… mmmmm… I groaned with him. This newfound feeling was excellent for him and never budged away from it. Finally, after five minutes, I slowly engulfed his dick into my mouth. MMMMmmm-hmmmmm! Damn! It tasted so good. It didn't taste like anything at all. It was just… Malakhai flavored… and he groaned even louder as he felt my expert tongue lick all over his massive manhood like the slut I was never born to be. I got playful and started some sucking action right on the tip and that's when he started humping into me, nearly choking me down my throat, but I didn't care. He even held my head down closer to him for more pleasure and I kindly obliged to his request, sucking him even harder. Ooooooh, fuck! I was _this_ close to rubbing my clit now, but I resisted as he spoke. He knew I was gonna do that and he wanted to let me somehow.

"Why do you fight your desire to join my pleasure circle?" Malakhai asked me with such… finesse. "You enjoyed my touch down there, didn't you?"

"Mm-hmm." And that was all I could say, since his dick was still teasing my taste buds.

"Well, then…" He vigorously grabbed my ponytails and pulled me back with practically all his strength, nearly hurting me. But I took that pain like a bitch and paid close attention to him as I looked into his eyes with lust in my brown eyes. "…I want to see you feel what I felt among my wet fingers. Don't you dare resist yourself!"

"What do you need me to do?" I sounded so desperate and my right hand heard him, leading its way down towards my wet kitty cat while I still kept my adorable stare on his hazel brown eyes. "Oooooh, Malakhai… tell me, baby. Tell me to fuck myself… please!"

"I have no need to tell you, Ibuki." Indeed, he was right about that. Right after he said my name, my hand was workin' that clit and I groaned at the very top of my lungs while I rolled my eyes back and leaned back in a beautiful curve that literally hypnotized my gentle giant commanding officer. His smiled explained his satisfaction. "Yes, my precious ninja girl. Make it harder for me to taste."

Say what? Did he really actually say that in a desperate tone? I mean, I knew he was referring to this wet clit of mine, but shit! This was just getting so sexy right now and I never wanted it to stop at this rate. Anyway, after about three minutes in, I gasped hard as I felt that orgasm I've been craving ever since Shaundo first mentioned him earlier today. I ended up on my hands and knees as I was breathing hard while I faced the floor in exhaustion. Malakhai was so happy to see me like this as he kneeled down to meet me at my face and he lifted my head up, so I could see him. I was still panting like a tired tanuki as he continued.

"There. See? That wasn't so bad, now was it?" He asked me with humor. I shook my head in response. I was just too 'sexified' to speak at this point. I just loved hearing his sexy voice! Fuck! "You handled that well… just like last time on the dance floor. Now, it's time for my desire to be fulfilled… by your magnificent booty." Well, get that ass, baby. I'm ready.

"Don't hold back on me, then." I finally said after regaining my strength. "It has been a while since I was fucked in the ass by a dick like yours."

"Ahhh, I see. Your cockiness intrigues me. Let's see what that smooth and creamy ass can do." Awww, yeah. Malakhai's about to learn the textbook definition of 'Bootylicious'! Tee, hee!

Malakhai took his sweet time taking a good look at my half-naked body while he made his way behind me. I was still on my hands and knees on the soft carpet floor and I literally made my eyes follow him, trying so hard to see his eyes as well as his sexy body. By the time he finally made it behind me, he took off his shoes, pants, and boxers completely and that made me gasp softly, finally being able to see his fully naked body and… holy fuck! Being the Sexiest Man in Atlanta does take plenty of workin' out and it looks like he's been doing it on a daily basis. Mmmm-hmm! I shivered at his soft touch on my ass as he started to pull down my thong, but not without carefully taking off my boots first. It took him a good five minutes to do that and I just enjoyed it as I volunteered to speak.

"You don't want me to lose the skirt, baby?" I dared to ask him seductively. Malakhai chuckled again and my pussy was sorta chuckling with him, making me moan low enough for him not to hear.

"Oh, you're just getting too cute, Ibuki." He replied as he winked, holding up my black thong underwear next to him on his right. "When I want you to lose the skirt, I'll let you know. Right now, however, it doesn't seem to be bothering me at all. Now…" He paused as he tossed the panties to the side and lifted the skirt back to get a better view of my smooth booty. I know he's about to taste it any second and I was ready. "…let's see if it tastes as good as it looked as you shook it out there."

Being the gentle giant, Malakhai gave me a soft massage on my ass by having one hand on each cheek, making me groan with appreciation as I started to slightly 'rock' with his hands, arousing him as well as myself. This made him chuckle again and I just kept up with his rhythm as best as I could. Three minutes after, he stopped and I was about to turn my head towards him to see what was keeping him, but he smacked me by the time he just saw my left eye peak at him, startling me with a surprised yelp coming out of my mouth as well.

"Ah-ah-ah, my cute ninja girl." Malakhai taunted at me in a playful version of that handsome voice, making my heart melt. I immediately turned back towards the glass doors and moaned some more as his hands massaged where he smacked for relief. "No peeking… or I'm gonna have to give you spankings that are beyond what you can handle… in terms of pain, that is." Oooooh, shit! This intelligent ass is just making me even more desperate for his dick right now, but I kept my mouth shut and my face turned away from him, hiding my horny smirk. Seriously, I didn't mind the spankings. Sex gets more fun when you add them in, ya know. "Now, let me smother that adorable ass of yours." And in no time, I felt his mouth all over my butt cheeks. He really felt like he was trying to suck my ass while he was kissing it and each and every one felt better than the last. After about ten minutes of it, I tried to sway with his kisses, but again, he stopped and spanked me again… just for a quick second. Tee, hee! I am such a horny masochist. If I keep disobeying him like this, he might as well treat me like a bad little girl and give me a seemingly endless tedium of spankings until I say uncle… or his name… whatever he preferred.

"You're just being so persistent on purpose, aren't you?" Malakhai asked me with an annoyed tone this time. I couldn't help but giggle. He ended up chuckling with me and I was actually surprised. "Heh, heh… I see. Well, I kinda do regret smacking this lovely booty because you wanted to ride my mouth with it. I'll allow it." And with that in mind, I went straight on back to swaying with his mouth as he continued to smother my ass one cheek at a time after every third kiss and my moans made him go deeper and faster.

Another good ten minutes went by before I gasped hard and froze with shock when I felt something wet slowly drizzle down both my legs. Malakhai momentarily stopped his wet kisses on my ass and saw what it was: my pussy cream of love. He used one finger to carefully smear some of it off and I heard the sound of him sucking it clean off of that same finger, making me shiver slightly with anxiety.

"Mm-hmm." He hummed with interest. "I see that your body craves for more than just a few kisses. Do you want me to lick the rest of this off for you?" Oh… oh, fuck yeah, you motherfuckin' bastard! I wanna feel those soft lips on my pussy… NOW! YES!

"Yes, please, sir." I replied seductively, keeping my composure. Malakhai chuckled that sexy chuckle again before he gently grabbed my love handles, prompting me to stand up on my knees and turn towards him before he picked me up by my arms and settled me on the fancy, black leather couch that was to our left. As soon as I got comfortable, Malakhai just couldn't do it without giving me a passionate kiss that was just so juicy to me. His lips were a whole lot softer than I thought and… oh, shit… I just tasted some of my pussy juice within his mouth as we were tongue-wrestling. Upon that feeling, I couldn't help myself. I literally clawed at his long light brown hair and his neck, moaning deep in his throat as I took in that taste. Damn, he tasted sooooo good. At that point, I never wanted this kiss to end, but unfortunately, it had to after about five minutes and he just looked deep into my eyes with our mouths barely a millimeter apart from each other. I kept on breathing on his lips and he never objected to it as he spoke.

"You tasted yourself, didn't you?" He dared to ask me. I was so out of breath, I couldn't speak… but I nodded as a response and he chuckled that famous laugh again, making me exhale a groan of lust. "I see that look of satisfaction in your beautiful eyes. You're just too adorable at this point and practically everything you do will be consider cute from this moment on. That's how delectable you are, my sweet Ibuki-chan." Fuck! His way with words is just so… mmmmm… please, Malakhai. Please… taste me… PLEASE, DAMN IT! "Now, with that in mind, shall I lick you clean, my love?"

"Uh-huh…" I sighed, still trying to look deeper into those regal-looking eyes. Malakhai made a charming smile before he gave me one more quick peck on my lips and slowly moved down towards my dripping wet pussy and then… (gasp)… ho… holy f… fuck… mmmmm-hmmm! He was having a goddamn feast down there and his tongue was right on it! Right on my hard-as-hell clit… and my screams of his name and moans explained how badly I never wanted him to stop! I really went insane by the time he started sucking on it, making me shiver like I just saw a ghost right before my eyes. I tried to close my legs out of desperation, but Malakhai growled right in my pussy and held them back with partial anger.

Fifteen of the slowest minutes went by before I finally sprayed out my orgasmic fury right into Malakhai's mouth while I screamed at the very top of my lungs towards the ceiling and, again, my shivering just won't quit. It was just pure bliss and hypnotizing all at once and I just couldn't contain myself through the whole two minutes of screaming and squirting. As soon as I finally calmed down, he planted those massive, but soft hands on my soaked legs and pulled my head back by my ponytails before he opened his mouth right over my open mouth and my juice was slowly oozing out of him… and right onto my tongue! Damn… I tasted sweet. Three more slow minutes went by before it was all gone and I swallowed every last ounce of it, licking my lips on the way, which made him smile that oh-so-sexy smile again.

"_Not_ sharing that sweet juice would've been so discourteous. Wouldn't you agree, Ibuki-chan?" Malakhai whispered to me when he was a centimeter away from my mouth, making me breathe right on his chin as I nodded in agreement. Can… can I-can I please… can he fuck me now? What in the hell is taking him so long? I appreciate all this foreplay were doing, but damn it! My pussy can't fuck itself! "That look in those majestic brown eyes of yours… they're calling out to my delicious dick, aren't they? They beg me to finally fuck you with all of my strength. Am I right, baby?" About time he called me 'baby', but anyway… yeah. You better listen to my eyes… because they're screaming at the very top of their lungs right now… if they were to have lungs, that is. I nodded as my response again. Seriously, I just can't talk to this man. I'm scared I might interrupt his magnificent voice, if I did. Malakhai kinda sensed that in my head and gently stroked my tearful face of happiness with that soft left hand. "Why won't you let me hear your baby voice? You know you sound cute when you talk."

"I… I'm scared…" I muttered out of my quivering lips. This gentle giant's eyes were begging me to finish my sentence. He gave me his version of the 'What are you afraid of?' look and I answered. "…I'm scared to interrupt you… or disobey you. I love you too much to do it, Malakhai. I really am, baby…" I bowed my head with humiliation and Malakhai used that same hand to bring it back up to his, making me look deep into his magnificent eyes again.

"I wouldn't mind you interrupting me while I was talking to my Father over the phone. I'd love to hear your voice, no matter what." Oh, thank God! I'm so glad he feels that way. I smiled from ear-to-ear to prove how happy I was and he returned it as I spoke.

"Oh, thank you so much, Malakhai. I never knew you didn't mind."

"Of course, I don't mind it at all. Now, I'll ask you again. Are you mentally begging me to finally fuck you as hard as humanly possible?"

"Yes!"

"What?"

"YEAH!" Damn, I love where this is going.

"WHAT?!"

"FUCK YEAH, MALAKHAI! FUCK ME HARD!"

"Right now, baby?" DAMN IT, MALAKHAI! DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME?!

"YES! NOW!"

"Okay, then…" Malakhai really put his strong muscles to extremely good use. He grabbed me by my slender, but strong arms with all his might, nearly crushing them before he lifted me off the couch, holding me close to him. I felt his sweaty abs and pecs against my just-as-sweaty back and he was rock solid! Mmmmm! While he was holding me, he momentarily released my right arm as he reached down towards his pants on the carpet floor and pulled out a small black spray bottle. I'm… hoping that's not what I think it is. It said 'Pleasure Keeper' on it in purple letters and I was just curious.

"What is that, Malakhai-san?" I asked him sweetly, since he said he doesn't mind my adorable voice at all. He chuckled at me as his only response and that instantly got me nervous. As soon as he had a good grip of the same spray bottle in his hand along with that kung-fu grip on my right arm, he growled with effort as he unexpectedly ran for the glass doors, giving me a front row seat for the ride. I screamed with a little terror and little humor all at once the whole way through and, when we got there, he had me pinned up against the glass and brrrr! It was super cold against my titties! Malakhai was breathing hard against my left ear before he held up that same spray bottle up to my face and he finally answered my question from earlier.

"This, my love, is the ultimate motivator in how I should fuck as hard as humanly possible." He replied smoothly, making me smile seductively at him at a side-glance. "Can you guess what it is?"

"I'm guessing it might be a condom in a bottle." I replied with confidence. He nodded in response and I mentally jumped for joy. I'm glad he has the knowledge of safe, but rough sex… and personally, safe sex is the hardest and hottest sex you can ever have! "Am I right, baby?"

"It's extremely apparent that your cuteness does not affect that university brain of yours. I know you wouldn't prefer rubber, so I've found an extremely reliable and more environmentally safer alternative. It will enhance the pleasure towards both of us simultaneously. Are you sure you're ready to take me on, Ibuki-chan?" I didn't look directly into it, but Malakhai was spraying on the condom as he explained that whole statement. Just hearing the sound of it was enough for my pussy to open wide for him. I nodded in response to his question.

"Uh, huh. I've been ready ever since Shaundo started describing you to me earlier." Yeah, I finally said it! I became honest about how long I've been craving that sweet, sweat-glazed, and 'Sexiest Man in Atlanta' body of his. Hearing this made Malakhai show a look of complete shock and surprise, due to his widened eyes. Yeah, that convinced him significantly. I love a stunned silence!

"I see. That prophecy precedes my expectations, Sexy-buki… and for just such an occasion, I will indeed show you what it means to be fucked as hard as humanly possible. Are you ready?" And he grabs my ass without a second thought immediately after he asked me that and I groaned at his touch, ready for anything he might squeeze in. I nodded desperately as my response and, again, in practically just a few milliseconds afterwards, Malakhai finally rams into my pussy from behind with every last ounce of his strength and I screamed against the glass with ecstasy, taking in that ohhhh-sooooo-goooood feeling of all ten inches of his dick inside of me! Aaaaahhh, fuck! He was… he was… HE WAS… HAAAAAAHHH… HE WAS WORKIN' THAT COCK, BABY! MMmmmm! Ya'll seriously don't know how I'm feeling right now! SHHHHIT!

It's only been a good ten minutes since Malakhai started fucking me with practically all his strength and I was just screaming my pleasure into the glass at every thrust. I heard him groaning and grunting with effort and I can tell he was really sweatin' it up back there and damn! When he said he could fuck me as hard as humanly possible, he really did mean it at this point! I am having the time of my life right now and I just wanna make it better somehow. I don't care if me spanks me for what I have planned in a little while. For now, though… I wanted to get the fuck off of these glass doors.

Another five minutes later, I started to scream out his name at the very top of my lungs as I felt another huge orgasm explode throughout my entire body. It was… just… aaaaaahhhh! YES! FUCK, IT WAS SOOOOO GOOD! I never wanted it to stop, but unfortunately, it did after a good three minutes. Shit! That had to be the best 18 minutes I've ever experienced in my life, but that was just the beginning! I want more, baby! MOOOOORRRRE! Malakhai chuckled at how I took that last orgasm and pulled my head back by my ponytail again, whispering to me with all the seduction he had.

"Damn, baby." He started deep in my left ear, making me look at him in a sexy side-glance and a smile. "You sound even cuter when you scream my name like that. At this point, and as a reward for that beautiful vocal performance, you can do whatever you want with me." Is… is he serious? I'm not gonna get spanked? Because he really has no idea what I have in store for him. "Does that sound good to you?"

"It surely does, Malakhai." I replied just as seductively. "Just answer me this, then."

"What is it?"

"No matter what I do, I won't get spanked, right?"

"No matter what. I promise… unless you want some spankings to tease you with."

"I love it when you smack my ass, baby." Damn, I love teasing him. Malakhai chuckled after I said this and he turned me around, pinning my back against the glass now. "And besides, I know it'll make you happy… and that's all I wanna do."

"You know me too well already, Ibuki-chan. I suppose we could squeeze in some spankings, but only when you say so. I'm running by your rules from this point on. Understand?"

"Yes, sir." And I said that with such finesse. I was ready to still get fucked up by him some more, but he had to do what _I _say from now on… which is EXACTLY how I wanted it. "Let's make it hot, baby. First thing's first… let go of me." Malakhai did so and just stood there with anxiety written all over his face. I finally gained the opportunity to take off my skirt and I kicked it to the left, as if I hated it. I don't hate it, though… really. Anyway, I can tell by that look in those bright eyes that Malakhai was ready for more. "Now, let's head on over to the bed." I started the pathway towards the beautiful red velvet waterbed and he followed me shortly after… and my sixth sense told me he wanted to spank me here and I obeyed it. "If you feel the need to give me a small smack, then go ahead." And he did it so fast and hard, I nearly tripped on my own feet, but I maintained my balance as I giggled. Talkin' about me being cute. Look at him. Tee, hee, hee!

A few minutes later, I just commanded Malakhai to sit on the bed and he did so carefully, making sure he didn't put himself at risk at falling off the bed. When he was comfortable, I gave him a pretty sinister seductive glare that just made him growl in his throat and I decided to let him explain why.

"What's wrong, Malakhai?" I asked him with a sexy drawl in my adorable voice.

"Something tells me you're just aiming at one thing in particular." Malakhai replied with honesty. "I would take a guess at it, but it was ruin the moment."

"That's okay. I'm actually glad you won't tell. Just sit back a little." And he did so, lookin' so… mmmm-hmmm… damn! Seeing him leaning back on the bed like that just made my pussy purr, but I maintained my sanity as I proceeded to what I have been craving all night… and you thought it was sucking his dick, didn't you? Uh-huh! I see you! Well, you're about to see my true desire. "Good boy. Damn, you look ready." I didn't say another word as I got to his right side and slowly crawled to right where his lap was and I got comfortable by the time my ass was at the same location as his right leg. Malakhai showed that signature horny smile by that time and I knew that _he_ knew where I was going with this. Perfect!

"I see where this is going." He quoted professionally as he slowly started to massage my soft booty in a circular motion with that oh-so-soft right hand. "You did say you wanted spankings and you're convincing me very well so far. Are you sure?" Awww, he's concerned about me. I am impervious to pain, since I'm a ninja and all. If I can take a few punches, kicks, and Vega's claw scratching me down my back… then I can take this shit! I gave Malakhai that glare that told him to hurry and get on with it… and he read it immediately. "Well, I see that you really want this. These are your rules and I will follow them. Disobeying any rules is not like me at all." After that was said, he finally fulfilled my deepest desire and started spanking my ass like I was the baddest girl in town! Aaahhh! Woo! Damn! Spank it, baby! Spank me like a bitch! Hmmmm! Aah! Aah! Mmm! Spank me harder, you bastard! FUCK! YES! What the hell am I doing… yelling all this in my mind and shit?!

"Yeah, baby!" I groaned out to him desperately, keeping my body on his lap as best as I can. "Aaahh! Yes! Mm! Mm! Shit! Harder, baby! Spank me harder! SPANK ME LIKE A MOTHERFUCKER! YEAAAAHH! OOOOOOOH!"

Yeah, that's better… and he never backed down nor slowed down. He was literally spanking me harder… faster… with all his strength… and I was taking this pain like a bitch! I know my ass had to as red as a goddamn apple by now, but I didn't care. I wanted just a little bit more… and my pussy kinda wanted to join in the fun. Since I could do whatever I wanted, I snuck my right hand down towards my dripping pussy and just got into a rubbing frenzy on it, making me moan even louder. Malakhai saw this and chuckled, still spanking me like a fucker!

"Mmmm-hmmm." Malakhai hummed with interest. I know he's lookin' some kind of casual right now, like he's not even putting any effort on his spankings, but he is nonetheless. "_This _is your deepest desire, huh? Interesting imagination you have, my Sexy-buki. I must say, I am getting quite hard right now because of this."

"I can feel it, too." I admitted as he continued to spank me like I broke his Mother's china cabinet. "Do you wanna fuck me some more?"

"Why ask such a rhetorical question?" Mm! Yeah, he wants another round of some rough sex… and looks who's asking _me _a rhetorical question. "I would appreciate it, if you would do it to me now. Since showed you how I fuck as hard as humanly possible, let's see how _you _do it, Ibuki." Aww, shit! I LOVE it when he says my name. I've been through nearly thirty spankings now. I think it's enough myself. I giggled at that last statement Malakhai made before I gently stopped him from giving me my thirty-first spanking and he just leaned back and allowed me to get comfortable on his lap, having my smooth legs around his waist while I stroked his hard pecs and looked into those beautiful eyes of his. "I'm curious about your techniques with this."

"I'm sure you are, baby." I playfully pushed him down towards his back on the waterbed and felt around behind me until I found his still-protected cock and took in how hard it really was for a few seconds as I continued. "And your dick was screaming for me, just like my eyes were earlier. You really have no idea what you're up against with me, Malakhai. I may be a ninja, but there are some things that I take into consideration… like getting fucked up by a sexy stud like you."

"I see. You ninja prowess surpasses many others before you and that's what strives you to keep going and keep executing those Tanuki killers. That's what I love about you… adding to your adorable behavior and sexy performance, of course." Awww, he finally admitted how much he feels about me! That's… that's so sweet of him. I feel so blessed to have a man like him now. I nearly cried my happy tears, but I managed to hold them back as I slowly slid back, having his monster of a dick slowly slither inside my wet pussy and I gasped at the intrusion and how smoothly it was going in. "Mmmmm…. now, I want to experience how you fuck as hard as humanly possible. Don't hold anything back, Ibuki-baby!"

"Hey! After what you just confessed to me… about how you really feel about me…" My tears couldn't be held back anymore as I said this last statement: "…I'll say you definitely deserve it for being so modest and just the sweetest man I've ever met in my entire life. You may be a dirty sex hound at night sometimes, but during the day, you're an angel in my eyes." And that's when I slowly started to ride his dick like he was a mechanical bull. Goddamn! He felt too good… way better than when he was ramming into me from behind. Malakhai gave me some support by gently grabbing my hips and he just kept his eyes on me the whole time with that seductive smile I love so much.

"Mm! I… I'm so glad you feel that way. I have a good feeling that you, Miracle, and Don-chan will make it through this together." Aaaaah, shit! Hearing that motivation got me riding him even harder, making me and him groan a little at the same time… completely by accident. "AAAAAAHHH! I guess… ugh… shit… you agree."

"Hell, yeah!" I screamed out when I felt my first small orgasm coming on. "Aaaaa… haaaaa… YES! FUCK! AAAAHHH!" Damn. I gotta be honest here… I was really putting up a good sweat there. I literally used every last part of my strength to give Malakhai everything I had and he was enjoying every minute of it! I knew that because he was grunting with every thrust from that point on and he couldn't say another word. All he could do is lean his head back and somehow keep his soft, but massive hands on my ass this time, making sure I really do give him all I've got.

A slow fifteen minutes of my orgasmic ride went by and, miraculously, none of us were even close to a final orgasm. I literally counted each one we both rode through in my head and, so far, I've been through ten while Malakhai's been through eleven. As we were just letting out all kinds of sexy sounds from our throats while I was fuckin' him as hard as I could, I just couldn't help thinking about how Miracle was doing while I was here, having a good ol' time with his closest friend, next to Shaundo, of course. That old geezer is so sweet to take probably the last few years of his life to make sure these adorable Tanuki Americans never ever get threatened for their fur ever again. And since Malakhai is Miracle's last hope, if Shaundo were to pass away, I want nothing more than for those two to stay together. If I truly love Malakhai this much, then I would allow it.

Another slow and erotic fifteen minutes later… well… you all can take a wild guess…

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH! MALAKHAIIIIIII!"

"IBUKIIIIIIIII!"

YES! Victory… is… extremely pleasurable! My twentieth and Malakhai's twenty-second orgasm were our respective final ones and they… were… motherfuckin'… HUGE! I mean, both of our bodies were just vibrating like a pair of cell phones and our screams would probably be heard all throughout the club, if it wasn't soundproof. FUCK, YEAH! I have to officially say that I did indeed fuck Malakhai… as hard… as _humanly _possible. Yes… yes… whew. Damn, that had to be the longest five minute orgasm ever! After that ride was finally over, I gently pulled his dick out of me and I immediately felt that he was small again while the condom just wore off when my sweaty body collapsed right on top of his, having me feel his hard muscles through his sweat as well. All we heard were us breathing hard together for the next three minutes and I took in that beautiful aroma of a lethal mixture of sweat, sex, anger, shame, and probably ecstasy… not that I know what ecstasy would smell like. Heh, heh…

"Both of our desires were fulfilled, Ibuki-baby." Malakhai quoted tiredly as he started to gently stroke my sweaty face, making me smile my cutest smile in ages, which made him chuckle at me. "Awww… you're just too adorable, even after what just happened not too long ago."

"Like I said, I'm a ninja with some acceptable considerations…" I started with a sly attitude just as tiredly. "…and that means I'm also tough on the inside as well."

"You proved that very well. Now, I must tell you something very important about the rest of these missions you're about to continue tomorrow." I paid close attention, too… while I had my share of gently massaging his sweaty face as well. "Those first four criminals were just the beginning. Mark's best henchmen are awaiting you next and, since their difficulty levels are pretty high, compared to those first four bastards, you have to plan better strategies for each and every one of them and for Don as well against their dogs. While you are making Mark and Stone weaker mentally, you're also making him weaker physically as well, but don't let that take away the fact that my father and Miracle nearly died in his hands. You'll have to use those impressive kunoichi skills to take them down with elegance, finesse, and absolute precision. Don't leave no Tanuki Kicker bastard without one spot of their blood on you. Understand, my love?" Every word… and that last statement made me shiver on top of him, but he didn't seem to mind it at all as he saw me nod in response with the shivering. "Good. I have so much faith in you, Grandmaster Ibuki. You will strive to protect Miracle and my father with all your strength and I'll always love you, no matter what happens." I was speechless. That whole explanation and speech was just so touching to me and he gently pulled me towards him for a tasty goodnight kiss that was just so tongue-lashing and passionate, I couldn't help but claw at his hair and neck again. After hearing all that from him, I gained all the confidence I could hold from that moment on.

After that quick five minute kiss, we released slowly and I slid off his body, lying next to him on his right and we just cuddled close together, having his massive arms around me for support and protection before we eventually fell asleep for the night, believing that the rest of these missions will go by smoothly…

…especially since Malakhai just called me 'Grandmaster Ibuki'. Just hearing that in his voice was enough to give me power for whatever tomorrow will bring.

To be continued…


	9. Chapter 9: Mission 5 : Zedrick

Chapter 9: Mission 5 – Zedrick

Holy shit! Did… did last night really happen? I was fucked as hard as humanly possible and I did the same to Malakhai back at him near the end and… I took in thirty painful spankings like a sick masochist… and… whew… wow…

…I'm speechless.

The next thing I knew, I woke up and I notice I'm back in my room at Shaundo's house and cute lil' Miracle was sitting on the nightstand, lookin' like he waited patiently for me to wake up. Seeing this made me smile from ear-to-ear before I slowly sat up and stretched as I yawned. I had no idea I was still naked from last night, but that didn't seem to matter to me because I knew Miracle was a respectful American Tanuki. When I sat up straight, he squealed with all the joy in his heart before he leaped for me, right between my bare breasts, and snuggled me with all the love in the world. I smiled with sincerity as I gave him a sweet hug back, massaging his neck and back gently and his ice cold tail was wagging right below my boobs, but I didn't care. He was just happy to see me back home and doing so well for someone who got seriously manhandled by the Sexiest Man in Atlanta last night. Speaking of him, I'll bet his sexy gentle giant self took me home earlier this morning and I couldn't be more thankful for that. For now, though, hugging Miracle was enough of a telepathic thanks towards that gentleman.

A few seconds later, Shaundo just showed up at the entrance and it looked like he wasn't shocked at my naked self either. He was just happy to see me… judgin' by that sweet elderly smile.

"Mornin', 'Buki." He greeted to me sweetly. Damn, I love his elderly voice. It makes my heart flutter with respect. "How was last night?"

"Totally awesome, Shaundo!" I replied proudly. "Even though my ass is still a little sore right now."

"Eh-heh-heh-heh-heh! So, I've heard from Malakhai. He just left with some of our breakfast to go and told me all about how you took his spankings like a real woman. You… really wanted him ta spank ya, huh?"

"That's been one of my deepest, darkest desires since you explained him to me."

"I see. Well, I'm glad you two had a good time and… uh… is it official between da two of ya? Malakhai couldn't answer me because he was in such a rush. He wanted to make it back to sanctuary before you continued your missions."

"Yeah, it's official. Your son… the Sexiest Man in Atlanta… Malakhai Jeffery Wellason… is my new boyfriend." Yeah, yeah, yeah… I know. I made it a bit wordy to say that it was official, but I'm just filled with joy right now. I couldn't help myself. Tee-hee! Shaundo even showed that he was overwhelmed with my response.

"Well! I'm happy fo' ya, but now, it's time to get back to them missions. Malakhai's already prayin' fo' ya and so am I. Now, get up, get dressed, and c'mon downstairs. Yo' next mission is due to be a tough one." After that was said, Shaundo closed the door behind him and, right after that was done, Miracle hopped off me to allow me to get dressed. He landed on the nightstand and waited patiently for me once more while he squealed to start a conversation. He just said that he was so happy for me to be in love with a man like Malakhai. I giggled as a response before I continued.

"I'm happy, too." I replied with humor as I just slipped on a black bra and matching panties before I went for a long t-shirt in the next drawer down. "Despite how rough we were last night, he gave me some pretty helpful advice I'll never forget. He gave me the confidence, Miracle. Now, I really believe that I can avenge your tail as well as Shaundo's arms. I know it sounds silly, but that's what it seems like to me… since both Mark and Stone nearly killed you both." Miracle squealed in multiple tones again for about a minute and I turned towards him at full attention by the time I just slipped on the long white t-shirt. "Really?!" He just said that even though Malakhai gave me those messages of wisdom, he's still vulnerable somewhere. I was shocked. "But, doesn't he conceal himself in an undisclosed location for his own safety?" Miracle nodded. I was confused. "Then, why is he still in danger? It doesn't make any sense!" Miracle made three harsh squeals and that made me gasp. "Oh, no… you… you can't be serious…" Seriously, you guys won't believe what he just said. So, I waited to tell Shaundo at the breakfast table a few minutes later and… well…

"Yep!" Shaundo admitted as he just sat down with his plate of a stack of two Belgian waffles with four strips of turkey bacon while Don and Miracle shared some more fruit in a high chair. "Despite Malakhai hidin', he still got himself involved with those Tanuki Kickin' bastards."

"How?" I asked with surprise as I started eating my waffles. "What did he do?"

"Afta he heard 'bout me and Miracle's ordeal wit Mark and his Rottweiler, Stone, he decided to see if he could fight fire wit fire and see if killing Mark's brother, Zedrick, will do him some good… along wit his pet Whippet, Minny, of course."

"Did he do it?" Wow! Malakhai got himself involved alright… and by aiming at the boss' brother nonetheless. What the hell was he thinking? That depends on what Shaundo says after this.

"Well, the good news is he did kill the dog, but da bad news… well… lemme put it dis way: Zedrick works out literally every chance he gets and he's made into a bulletproof man, the most indestructible man you could ever meet… at least against bullets. I don't know about knifes and rockets."

"Huh!" Well-goddamn. Malakhai placed himself on the wanted list towards those Tanuki Kickers and never said a word about it to me. Maybe that's why he wanted to prove his love to me in the most passionate way possible… just in case they found him and I couldn't say goodbye. No! No, Ibuki! Don't think like that! STOP IT! Well, I guess I have a third person to fight for: Malakhai. "Well… fuck…"

"I know, right? Regardless, do ya still love Malakhai?" Another rhetorical question, but eh… I answered it anyway.

"Duh! Of course, I do. At least, he made it out of there without a scratch. Now, um… who's my next target for this mission? I'm ready to do this for you, Miracle, and Malakhai." And boy, I wasn't kidding.

"That's the other bad news…" Shaundo muttered. Uh, oh… "Zedrick… is yo' next target."

"…!" …shit. I had a bad feeling about that.

Fifteen minutes of a hot shower later, back in my room…

Since it was a hot day today, I decided on wearing my usual purple tank top with blue jean shorts instead of jeans. I also wore some pretty cool purple and white sneakers to match as well and I was ready… with Miracle snuggled between my boobs as usual for protection. I stared into the mirror and was just speechless about all this. I meet Malakhai and it took off quickly after a hot grinding session on the dance floor. Next thing I knew, he fucks me as hard as humanly possible and I do it to him back just to be even. Now, I hear this from Shaundo: Malakhai's on the Tanuki Kickers' wanted list for killing Mark's brother, Zedrick's, pet whippet and attempting to kill Zedrick himself all at once. Goddamn, this was too much to take in. Of course, Malakhai did do Don a huge favor in killing the dog, but still… I have to face Zedrick head on. Why he's only target number 5 though… I'll never know. That didn't matter this point. Miracle and I were ready for anything and we had our game faces on to prove it as we stared into the mirror for about five more minutes before I gathered by backpack and went on our way…

…towards Malakhai's… first. I needed to get this off his chest.

When I got there after my GPS tracked him down on my super cool i8, it was what I expected: Malakhai lived a life of luxury, since he was receiving welfare checks from the government, just to keep his ass away from those tanuki kickin' bastards. His mansion was a good three stories high and it probably had more rooms than a typical hand-me-down inn. Miracle grew excited as I pulled up next to the house and parked. He was already happy to see Malakhai, no matter what, and that alone made me smile all over as I spoke.

"Awww, you still love him, despite all this, don't you?" I asked the cute little fella, who still had his medal tail wagging with high spirits as he was looking out from the dashboard. "Tee-hee! He's too adorable. Well, shall we?" Miracle responded to that by quickly turning around and making his graceful leap in between my breasts and got comfortable before I carefully stepped out of the car and activated the alarm as I made my way towards the roomy porch after climbing up a flight of ten marble stairs. When we finally got to the door, it seemed like Malakhai was expecting me and his butler opened the door before I could even reach the doorbell.

"Well, hello there." The elderly butler greeted to me in a thick British accent. "Sir Malakhai has been expecting you. You are Madame Ibuki, yes?" Yeech! Saying 'Madame' before my name just sounded iffy right now, but I mentally shrugged it off as I kept my composure and spoke as politely as possible.

"Yes, I am Ibuki, sir." I replied, playing along with this. I kinda like it. "I'm here with Miracle to see Malakhai. I wanted to ask him a few questions."

"Of course, Madame. Come on in. Just follow the music and you will find him." I obeyed as I strolled right on into the huge mansion and, holy crap! He's probably richer than a CEO! He had the biggest chandelier I've ever seen in my life along with just old colonial decorations all over the place! He must be getting huge welfare checks. Anyway, the butler did tell me to 'follow the music' and I tried to get a sound… and it was something I never expected: piano… a grand piano playing at its finest. I followed the music and it led me to a huge dance hall and there he was… Malakhai, who was shirtless and wore baggy pajama pants, playing on a classic piano like he was a professional. He was playing a jazzy piano tune version of… you guessed it… my theme from _Street Fighter III: Third Strike._ Damn, it sounded so sexy to me and I wanted to just sit there and enjoy the performance, but I had to ask him these questions that have been haunting me since this morning. I walked across the hall and my footsteps echoed all over the room, but Malakhai wasn't fazed by them at all. He was too deep in the moment and I tried so hard to resist it myself as I finally made my way to the grand piano and just casually sat on it with no problem while Miracle just hopped out of my tank top, waiting for him to finish that beautiful theme of mine. After five and a half slow minutes, the song ended peacefully and he looked up at me with a smile that could've made me melt to the floor, but I resisted as I smiled right back at him.

"My Father assured me that you'd be coming to ask me about Zedrick." He started smoothly, making me mentally swoon. I kept a cool head as I spoke.

"Yeah." I replied just as smoothly, getting in his mood. "Why didn't you tell me about this last night?"

"I didn't want to make your first time out with me seem like a total waste of energy. It is true that I did get myself involved with the Tanuki Kickers, but only for a short time. Something had to be done to assist my Father anyway I can and killing Zedrick would've been very accommodating, but unfortunately, I only ended up killing his Whippet, Minny, instead. Not a single bullet pierced through Zedrick's body."

"Well, you obviously used a handgun."

"That was the only weapon I could acquire. His body is at its top notch… even tougher than mine by far."

"Well, he should be mission number 19 then! Why the hell is he at number 5 on the list?!"

"He became a bit of a coward after our encounter… especially after he saw me kill his dog right before his eyes… with my bare hands."

"You… you mean…"

"Yes. I ripped the little dog in half." Oooh! Gross, dude! He pulled a fatality on the damn dog! Shit! "He was horrified beyond belief and obscured himself into his armored basement with his tail between his legs." Mm! Like he just saw the scariest horror movie he's ever seen in his life. Wow. "He hasn't come out from it since."

"Well, serves him right. Did he get another dog?"

"No. I didn't say 'He hasn't come out of the basement since' for nothing." Damn, I love it when he talks like that. I understood exactly what he meant by that and nodded in understanding while Miracle sighed with relief, making the both of us slightly smile at it.

"Well, I guess Don can sit this one out this time. So, with that being the case, where is Zedrick being held?"

"His basement is in an abandoned hotel not too far from here… just down the street from where your car is parked… three more buildings down. If you prefer to walk there, you can." That's a good running distance for me. I can get there as fast as the car! "Still… for your safety as well as Miracle's… do be on guard. His overprotective behavior can emerge from his reserved state unexpectedly. Just because he's a coward, doesn't mean he can't use weapons properly."

"Thanks, baby." I finally turned sweet on him after being serious for a moment and Malakhai chuckled at how cute that sounded before he stood up and walked around the piano to approach me, gently stroking my face with all the love in the world as he looked deep into my brown eyes. "Ooooh, you already got the knowledge to turn me on. I'm just happy you didn't get hurt during that ordeal."

"I'm glad to make it out alive as well, my precious ninja girl. I believe you have the skills to do what I failed to accomplish. Remember what I told you last night?"

"Yeah, baby. 'Don't leave no Tanuki Kicker bastard without one spot of their blood on me.'"

"That's a good girl… a cute, deadly, sexy… ninja girl." Malakhai wasted no time in giving me the most passionate, tongue-lashing kiss he's ever given me since we've met and it lasted for a good five minutes before we finally parted, looking deep into each other's eyes again. "Show that fucker no mercy." Mmmmm-hmmm! Yes, sir! I will.

About three minutes of a short run later…

I made it to the hotel Malakhai mentioned and it sure did look like it's been abandoned for many years. I can't believe Zedrick's hiding here like the coward I knew he would be! That… that's just sad… especially since he's Mark's brother. He'll be weaker without Fearful Zedrick once this is over. I just know the downside to this:

Mark will find out about this and probably come at me earlier than expected.

As a brave ninja, it's gonna be my responsibility to take him on regardless. Even Miracle agreed to it as he saw how brave I looked as we faced that run-down hotel, giving me a squeal of concern.

"You're scared of him, aren't you?" I asked the cute little guy, who nodded between my breasts as a response. "Don't worry. As long as you're in my shirt, nothing will happen to us. We gotta keep Malakhai's warning in our heads, though. Be ready for anything." Miracle squealed once again as a response and he showed his game face at the exact same time I showed mine.

Seconds later, we took our sweet time making it towards the entrance and, right when I got to the door, I felt and heard the wooden floor creak underneath us. I used my extremely sensitive ninja reflexes and busted through the weak wooden door just milliseconds before the floor caved in and I tumbled inside professionally, checking up on Miracle afterwards and he was still snug between my boobs as he hung on to the tank top for support. He was a little scared, but I gave a reassuring pat on the head to tell him that we were okay. By the time I got to my feet afterwards, I took a good look around and it was just a terrible place to hide. Dust and cobwebs were everywhere and there was even an odor that was pretty repulsive. Ew! Goddamn, it smells like dead bodies in here! But, I resisted the smell as I tried to look for Zedrick's hideaway.

A few minutes went by since the search and, so far, the smell was getting to us faster than we were getting to Zedrick. We got used to the smell and, right when we were heading for the doors to the basement, I started feeling dizzy and nearly fainted. I grabbed the nearest chair and tried to sit down, but my head was already spinning at this point and I could barely keep my balance. Miracle squealed with all the worry in his heart as he tried to help me by leading me to the chair safely and I managed to sit down, but I was still feeling dizzy.

"Ugh…" I groaned weakly, seeing the world get dark before my eyes. "…Miracle, I… I can't stand this smell… ugh…" Miracle squealed in multiple tones with even more concern and I tried to smile. "…I… Miracle, I… I'll be… be… ohhhh… fi… fi-ugh!" And I blacked out… out of the chair. I don't pretty much remember anything after that.

Three hours later…

I finally regained consciousness and found myself lying in a pretty clean bed for a place that smell like shit. I slowly sat up and felt a small twinge of pain in my head and groaned at it. After that, I heard Miracle squealing softly and I turned towards the location… and there was Zedrick… the huge muscle man that was bigger than Malakhai with an Asian complexion… holding Miracle in his huge hands and I was shocked. I was still prepared for anything as he spoke.

"Well, well, well… Ibuki-On-The-Scene herself… in my domain." Zedrick started in a pretty handsome voice. "I know the smell was too much for you, so I was prepared for your arrival… in case it didn't overwhelm you."

"Uh… thanks?" I guessed. I really wasn't feeling very comfortable about this guy. Malakhai did warn me that he could unleash his fury at any moment and, still, I never left that warning alone as I continued, silently motioning for Miracle to approach me and he did with all the glee in the world, snuggling back between my boobs by the time he got there. "Um… what the hell is with you? Aren't you Mark's brother?"

"Yes, I am. I suppose Shaundo sent you here to kill me and, judging by Miracle, he seems quite content with you."

"You know it, punk-ass!" This conversation was getting just creepy and I have had enough of it as I got up out the bed with Miracle clinging on to my tank top for added support. I pulled out six kunai knives and showed a look of fury in my eyes. "Now, I know you don't wanna die so quickly, so if you wanna fight, spare me the details and let's do this!" Zedrick scoffed as he crossed his arms, looking totally unamused.

"Why bother? I could just kill you right then and claim Miracle for my older brother. So, technically speaking, _you _don't want to die so quickly."

"What?" What the fuck was he saying? Is he… getting cocky? Humph! He better not be! I stood my ground as he slowly stood up to his feet and, in practically no time afterwards, he threw a knife at me. Luckily, I dodged it as quickly as it came and I counterattacked with a knife of my own and it made contact to his chest… but Malakhai was right about him being tough as nails when it came to his body. The knife barely made a dent on him and he yanked it out with practically no scratch. I grew nervous as he tried to throw that same knife back at me and I dodged again, landing back on the floor after I've been in the ceiling for a moment. Miracle squealed with fear in his heart and I know he's scared to death right now, but I kept my cool as I spoke. "SHIT! You are tough! Malakhai wasn't kidding!" Hearing that last statement made him freeze with shock. Uh, oh… I… wasn't supposed to say that out loud, huh? "…oops."

"Malakhai?! You know him?!"

"Uh… yeah." Might as well. "He's my boyfriend."

"…what?! He's still alive?! I thought I murdered his ass!"

"He seems fine to me… doesn't have a scratch on him. Believe me. I had sex with him last night and everything. He's unharmed, I assure you."

"…" Zedrick was speechless. I guess I can take back the fact that mentioning Malakhai was a bad idea. I smiled with confidence as I continued, still keeping my defensive posture in check.

"I'm actually glad you still remember him. He wanted to make sure that I don't leave none of you bastards without one speck of your blood on me. That gives me the confidence to overtake all of you, including your douchebag brother!"

"Grrr! You're gonna regret those words!" Just milliseconds after he said that, Zedrick pulled out a .45 Magnum from his back pocket and he finally made a clean shot to my left arm and I screamed at the very top of my lungs in extreme pain, making Miracle panic. Fuck! It was hurting like hell as I tried to hold the wound with my right hand, trying so hard to stop the blood from oozing out. "HA! Gotcha! Not so fast now, are you?" Damn, I hated his ass! He gained confidence as he placed away the gun and headed for Miracle, who was licking up some of the blood that was already drizzling down my arm as I was sitting on the floor in agony, leaned up against the wall. I tried to reach for my kunai knifes, but my left arm was in so much pain, I couldn't move my hand away for nothin'! Miracle saw Zedrick get closer to him and stopped his licking for a moment to stare at him with…

…determination? What? My eyes aren't tricking me, are they? Hmm…

"Heh, heh, heh…" Zedrick chuckled as he saw that it really was Miracle with a brave face instead of fear, like I expected. "…aww, look at him! He's acting courageous towards me. What are ya gonna do, eh, lil' fella?" That's a good question, if ya ask me. What the hell is Miracle doing? I mean, I know he saved my life once before, but… has he really gained some confidence himself? Miracle and I have been tight for a couple of weeks now and I can understand it completely. He probably realized how important I am towards Malakhai and Shaundo and is learning to be full of guts and glory when a situation get a little bleak… and so far… he's passing this lesson with flying colors. Awww… that's all I can say.

A few more seconds went by since Miracle faced Zedrick with all the courage in his heart and never turned away as the crazy brother of Mark got even closer, slowly reaching his hand out to him. When he did finally get a good grip on his small body, I panicked, despite my arm's gunshot wound pain.

"Miracle-ouch, shit!" I cringed and that small twinge of pain made me feel dizzy again as I was close to passing out. My eyesight was slowly fading to black and I was due to be unconscious for a second time any minute now, but before my eyes went completely black…

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH! SHHHHHHHHHIT! DAMN YOU, SHAUNDO! YOU AND YOUR FUCKIN' TECHNOLOGY!"

…and that's when I finally blacked out for the second time… under different circumstances, that is.

Two hours later…

I woke up in a medical bed this time back at Shaundo's mansion. Don was sitting at a table right next to me on my left side while Miracle was unharmed and doing well as he was sitting in such an adorable position on my stomach with a smile, his metal tail wagging away from my skin this time. Shaundo and Malakhai just entered the room with Shaundo holding a glass of water for me while Malakhai just came in with his sexy, regal smile before he took a seat next to Don on the same side. I couldn't help but smile at all this. I'd love to know who saved me this time.

"My, my, my." Shaundo started in his gentle elderly country bumkin voice. "Sleepin' beauty's finally awake. Here's some water fo' ya, 'Buki." He handed me the bottle of water towards my injured arm's hand and I slightly cringed at the small sting as I reached for it while I sat up. I saw that the wound had been wrapped up in a tape bandage with a non-stick antibiotic pad on it. That's where the stinging came from. "Got some good news and some bad news." Hmm! This should be interesting.

"What's the good news?" I asked tiredly as I took a good swig of my ice cold water.

"Da good news is, despite Zedrick laying a hand on him, Miracle still managed to escape by using another handy-dandy gizmo in his tail: somethin' I call a 'Tail Saw'." Whoa! That… uh… that sounds sharp.

"A Tail Saw?"

"It's a device my Father developed especially for Miracle." Malakhai came in, making me swoon on the inside again, but kept my composure on the outside as he continued. "Basically, his entire tail transforms into a titanium bladed chainsaw that's sharp enough to cut through even the toughest of metals and walls alike. It took the little guy three whole months to figure out its mechanics, but eventually, he maintained the hang of it and hasn't used it since then… until now, that is."

"He realized dat it was sharpa dan holy hell, girl!" Shaundo finished. "And vowed to neva, ever use it again until he really needed it. He made good on his promise… and used it ta save ya life… fo' da second time!" Wow! Miracle's whole tail turned into a chainsaw, eh? Damn, I wish I could've seen that. I'm guessing that's what that scream was… Zedrick got slashed by that one and the same Tail Saw. "He used it on Zedrick and… ooooh, boy… here's where da bad news comes in… uh… Miracle merely forgot how sharp is actually was and it did slice Zedrick up like he was slice of pizza." Huh?

"So… what's the bad news?" I dared to ask as I placed down the water bottle next to Don on the table. Malakhai chuckled with his sexy smile still teasing my pussy, but I held back the feeling as he continued.

"Look down at yourself." He commanded and I did… OH MY, GOD! I was in my black bra and obviously, I was in my matching panties as well when I checked under the covers. "Miracle's attack caused Zedrick's blood and internal organs to spatter everywhere on you by the time you were unconscious and we had to give you a bath during your insentient state while we had the chance."

"I mean, when Miracle brought ya back, you were drenched in blood!" Shaundo exclaimed. "Yo' face, yo' body, and even yo' clothes were all soaked in Zedrick's blood, lungs, and heart. Damn, it was a nasty sight!" EWWWW! Miracle murdered his ass! I… hope the bath was an easy one then.

"Awww, gross!" I groaned as I looked over at Miracle, whose tail was looking pretty clean for someone who used it to literally cut a melodramatic killer's chest open. "Miracle saved me after that?!"

"His tail gave him ten times the strength of your typical Tanuki American and twenty times the strength of a humans." Malakhai replied with such expertise again, making my pussy drool on my clean panties. Mm-mm-mm-mm! Damn, I was so ready for round two with this sexy gentle giant. "Despite how small the flying propeller attachment is, it was able to carry your one hundred and one and a half pound body back to us before the police arrived to clean up the mess."

"…wow." I… was… speechless. Miracle saved me for the second time since I've met him. The first time was totally out of desperation and instinct all at once, but this second time around… he did it out of love and bravery all at the same time. I don't know how many more hidden surprises the little guy has hidden in that super cool tail of his, but at this rate, I'll have to safely say that Miracle and I are pretty much the team to fight, whether Don-chan was with us or not. I still love my childhood tanuki brother, though. Malakhai stood up from his seat and gave me a small passionate kiss that lasted for about a minute before he slowly broke the kiss, gently stroking my soft face afterwards. Oh… my… God! He's so sweet. He cares about me so much… compare to Ryan the Lazy Motherfucker. Ugh! "…mmm. I… had no idea."

"He loves you, Ibuki." Malakhai replied to me while he still looked deep into my eyes, continuing his tender massage on my face. "Just about as much as I do… and I did hear about how he tried to clean up some of your blood from the gunshot wound on your arm. That's another surefire sign that he honors you as his protector… and nothing shall prosper over the both of you."

"Oh, Malakhai…" I was still practically shocked at all of this coming together. I… hope Don-chan isn't feeling left out of this. I looked at him during my embrace with my sexy boyfriend and saw that he had a smile that said 'No Hard Feelings' all over it. I smiled back at him with a wink, telling him that I agreed with him and he winked at me in return before I closed my eyes and took in Malakhai's unique scent and felt all over his neck, hair, and back. Shaundo nodded at this scene before him and allowed Don to get on his left shoulder while Miracle leapt for his right… but not without giving me a quick lick on my right cheek as his 'kiss' for being so compassionate towards me all this time.

"Miracle's just lookin' out fo' ya." Shaundo added sweetly. "Since he knows he can't be touched while he's in ya shirt, he kinda adds the additional support just in case you and Don get inta some kinda predicament."

"That's pretty top notch support!" I finally released all my overwhelmed feelings from my cage and got back to my usual Valley Girl self. "And I'm glad Don's not even jealous because of it."

"Are ya kiddin'?" Don added with his calm smile. "I'm treatin' him like a little brother, just you are towards me, sis. All three of us make a great team and that's all that matters! We will beat those fuckers down to Hell and Miracle and his Tanuki American family will be free with Shaundo again!" Word on that, dude! After that was said, Malakhai finally released me from the protective embrace and helped me to my feet after I slipped off the covers. He admired my body for a moment, since I was still in my bra and panties. I can tell he wanted a second round, too. Yeah… yeah, he drooling in his mind. I know it.

"And that's something we can all live with for the rest of our lives." I added after I finally found a robe to put on, making Malakhai slightly frown. Awww, he's hungry for me… the poor man. "Aw, now what's with you, baby? You wanted some of this, didn't you?"

"You read me like a novel, Ibuki-baby." Malakhai replied with honesty. "Besides, your promise to have your enemies' blood all over you was fulfilled with extreme proportions. We deserve to celebrate this victory… together. Father, can we borrow Miracle?" What? Borrow him for what? I showed a look of total confusion as he asked this and Miracle squealed with delight as he saw that Shaundo nodded in response to that question.

"Sho', you can borrow him. This'll be da first time he's stayed up past ten." Shaundo replied with confidence as he allowed cute lil' Miracle to leap towards Malakhai's massive right hand and landed perfectly on his feet. Again, I was confused, but by the time Malakhai and Miracle faced me, Malakhai quoted with every ounce of seduction in his deep voice:

"I want Miracle to finish tasting you along with me giving you all the love I could possibly hold within my very soul."

Ooooh, baby. Miracle enjoyed by blood, didn't he? Wow… somehow, I had a feeling this was gonna happen eventually… especially after how comfortable he's been between my boobs all the time.

"I assure you, however… that the only thing Miracle will taste on you are those beautiful breasts… while I work on the rest of your body. Is that okay?" Malakhai finished matter-of-factly, making me feel more secure now. I can tell this was gonna be the torture session that I'll remember for the rest of my life. I nodded in response before Miracle proved his point by making another graceful leap of faith towards my cleavage and got snug, despite the tightness of my bra. Seeing this made me giggle.

"Yeah, it's cool." I replied between giggles. "He has been very fond of them lately, ya know."

"Which is exactly why I want him to join us. I respects your sexy kunoichi figure and so do I… and we're gonna treat you like the true warrior we know you can be."

"Well, I'm ready then." And I sure was. Miracle stayed in between my boobs as Malakhai took my hand and led the way upstairs to my room to start, what could be, the cutest and most passionate fuck fest I'll ever experience. And I have an even crazier feeling that with Miracle added to the mix…

…it'll be tantalizingly adorable!

To be continued…


	10. Chapter 10: Tantalizingly Adorable Sex

Chapter 10: Tantalizingly Adorable Sex

Another bloody ending for Miracle and I… and I'm still practically speechless… even after our discussion in the medical wing of the mansion. This has only been Miracle's second time saving my life, but it seemed like more than that to me. Now, as a reward for his bravery, I've allowed him to tease my tits while Malakhai fucks me once more with all the love in his heart. I can tell this was gonna be spicy from beginning to end and I was ready for anything they both might throw at me.

As we were all heading towards my room, I finally couldn't hold in my horny feelings anymore and my pussy juice was just slowly running down my inner thighs like a pair of rivers and I moaned slightly at the feeling of it, making Miracle look up at me while Malakhai chuckled, not even giving me eye contact.

"You alright back there, baby?" He asked me sweetly after his sexy chuckling. I moaned a little more as my response and he chuckled even louder, making Miracle smile with him while he purred with anxiety. "Heh-heh-heh-heh… yeah, you're doing okay. My recent observations must've turned you on." Ain't it the truth?!

"…uh-huh." I replied breathlessly, resisting the urge to send one of my hands down towards my dripping wet pussy. Miracle never moved from his spot, but he made a few squeals in response to my answer towards Malakhai and I regained my composure while I gasped with shock. He just told me that he has only a couple of stimulation gadgets hidden in his tail and I was just speechless after that. I couldn't respond to it… AT ALL! Malakhai understood what he said, though, and he chuckled once more, making my pussy continue to drool.

"Aha! I forgot Father installed those in there… in case you were aroused. Father installed those into his tail because Miracle's just way too young to mate and he was neutered, just in case." Awww, I get it now. He's never been turned on before and this feeling was probably just too overwhelming for him to handle. Cute! "I hope you don't mind."

"Well, you did say he'll only play with my boobs." I reassured calmly, keeping my composure as well as I could by the time we finally made it to my closed room door. "Besides, having some 'vibes' bestowed upon them would be just spectacular." Heh, heh… I… figured I'd match his wits with that statement and it worked. Malakhai was impressed with what I just said and gave me a firm smack on my ass, making me groan with pleasure rather than pain. Miracle kinda 'groaned' with me while he slowly crawled out from between those ladies and onto my right shoulder while I opened the door.

"Trying to match my wits, are you, my smart-ass ninja princess?" Oooooh, his use of words is just amazing to me and I couldn't help but giggle, making him spank me once more right after the door was wide open. "Hmmm… you're teasing me, I see. I can tell we're going to have fun in round two. I'm only hoping Miracle can handle seeing you spanked like the horny bitch I know you are. Will you, Miracle?" The little guy squealed in response and I sighed with relief. He did say 'Yes' and I was relieved. "Good. If you want, you can get in on your share of some spankings for her." Miracle frantically squealed while he shook his head in the same way, making me giggle my cutest again… without Malakhai spanking me this time. Miracle loves me enough to just lick and tease my tits and nothing more. I'm actually happy about that and Malakhai nodded in understanding. "Oh, okay. I understand. Is that okay with you, Ibuki-chan?"

"Fine by me." I replied smoothly as we all got inside and Miracle got on Malakhai's left shoulder and sat there like a good American Tanuki, ready for anything. "The only question now is… can you _both _take me on at the same time?"

"Oh, I'm sure we can." Malakhai replied with sincerity. "Just get yourself into your birthday suit and we'll get started." I stood there with my arms crossed and showed a smug smile on my face, intimidating Miracle… especially since he squealed with a little shivering in it. Even Malakhai was confused. "…didn't you hear me?"

"Yeah, I did… but uh… I wanna see you in yours first before you see me in mine." He is shocked to the highest core right now, but despite that, he reluctantly obeyed as Miracle leapt towards a nearby table and watched him get undressed before me. Damn, he was covered in sweat by the time he pulled off the shirt. When he started on his pants, I finally took the liberty of peeling off my bra and he resumed his pant removal shortly afterwards, exposing that delicious dick I love so much. Seconds after that, Miracle's panting was heard and I took a good look at him. He's never seen me naked before and his first time was a charmer to him. "Awww, look at you, Miracle. You've been snuggling yourself between these ladies ever since we first met and now, you're finally seeing them exposed for the first time. They look delicious, don't they?" Miracle's tongue was all out while he continued to pant like a tired dog on a hot day. I couldn't help giggling at it. He was just too cute. Malakhai saw this from where he stood and chuckled with me before he spoke.

"Heh! He seems to love your succulent breasts." He commented professionally, making me wetter than I already was. Damn, I have to take these wet panties off… and I did as Malakhai continued. "I know he cannot wait to lick them nice for you."

"I can't wait either." I admitted as I just kicked by soaked panties behind me. "So, how is this gonna work?"

"Easy. While you ride me like the horny kunoichi I know you are, Miracle will keep a firm grip on you while he tickles your hard tits." Oooooh, baby! I love the sound of that. I can tell this is gonna get nasty. Whoo! "Do you want Miracle to use his stimulating tail on you while he's at it?" Oh, God! Yes! I'd like nothing more than Miracle's vibrating tail on one tit while he licks the other! Shit, dude! I love it!

"Hell, yeah!" I replied with confidence, ready for anything. "And what will you do, besides letting me ride you like a desperate bitch?"

"I could try to squeeze in a few spankings for you, if that's what you want."

"And don't give me no mercy, like you did last time."

"Ahh-ha-ha! That intrigued you! Well, if you insist…" After that was finalized, Malakhai pulled me closer to his sexy and sweaty body before he lifted me up and engulfed me in a passionate kiss that was just oh-so-tasty to me. I wrapped my slender, but strong arms around him and I even gave him a few small scratches all over his upper back and shoulders, but he didn't seem bothered by them. What can I say? I'm a desperate and horny girl. I can't help it, ya know! Tee-hee!

Anyway, after the slowest five minutes I've ever kissed through, we finally released each other and Malakhai gently settled me back down on my feet before he laid back on the bed, ready for anything from me. Miracle was ready as well, due to the fact that he was using his built-in propeller to hover right next to my left ear as I stared at Malakhai's massive dick with greed in my eyes. Damn, it was so ready for this insane fuck-fest.

"Holy shit, Miracle." I whispered to my little buddy. "You see how ready he is?" Miracle nodded frantically, anxiously waiting to taste me. I giggled at that before he finally got to my position overtop of Malakhai… with my ass facing him, which surprised him. I could tell because I felt him slightly jump.

"Ah, you're making it easier to spank you." He guessed with elegance, as always. I just love it when it talks like that. I know it seems like I repeating myself every time, but it's the goddamn truth! Deal with it! "I love where this is going, baby. Will you still give it your all to me as well as Miracle?"

"I'll… uh… let you both be the judge of that." And I meant it as I slowly grabbed his condom out of his hand and worked on getting it on while I continued. "Both of you… show me no mercy. Make me a desperate bitch."

"As you wish, my love." Malakhai relaxed at this point after I finally got the condom on and Miracle got into his position… right between my boobs, ready to tease me and taste me. He was still panting like a dog with his paws right over my hard tits, making me slightly moan at the touch.

"Damn, Miracle! You're just as desperate as I am. You wanna go first?" He was giving me that look… that 'Puppy Dog Pout'… and I just couldn't help it. I had to ask… and he nodded frantically before he wasted no time and quickly started licking my left nipple and holy hot damn! It felt so good! That erotic tingle went all over my body, making me automatically ease down onto Malakhai's massive dick while I sang out a moan that was just mesmerizing to both of them. Holy shit! I love this!

I had no idea what was going on in Malakhai's mind, but judging by how he was feeling below me, he wasn't moving. He was just lying there and watched me… well… shakin' that ass. Yeah, I was workin' it… just like at the club the other night. As for Miracle, he was alternatively sucking and licking my tits as if he's done it before! He still didn't use his tail yet, though. I was wondering when that'll happen. In the meantime, though, I was just enjoying this shit!

"Oooooh, yes, Ibuki!" Malakhai groaned out from behind me. I barely heard him through my screams and moans. "Your ass is just so tantalizing to me. Shall I spank it?" Fuck! I couldn't reply to that. Miracle was literally making me feel so damn good that I couldn't speak. I just continued to scream, gasp, moan, and groan in every note I could think of… and I was working up a sweat on the side, too. Seeing this made my big man chuckle his sexiest and I was ready for some good ass whoopin'! Whoo! "I see. You're overwhelmed with passion. You say I should give you no mercy… and that is exactly what I'll give to you. Get ready." Again, I couldn't reply, but fuck, I was ready! Spank me, Malakhai! Make me cry, damn it! I was humping him faster and faster at this rate and my sixth sense was just completely turned off. I lost it… but I don't give a shit! C'mon, Malakhai! Do it! Do it, damn it! Spank me! Smack that ass for me! GIVE IT TO ME! GIVE IT TO ME, BABY! **GIVE IT TO ME! **

_**SMACK!**_

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH, YES!" OH, FUCK YEAH! DAMN! THAT HURT LIKE A BITCH! Yeah, yeah! I've been a bad girl, baby. Spank me again!

"Did that hurt you, Ibuki?" Malakhai dared to ask me… even after all that shit I'm saying right now. Whew… damn, I need to calm down. I finally managed to gather the energy to speak as I turned my head towards him as best as I could.

"Uh-uh, baby." I replied breathlessly, making me sound so sexy. I still took in Miracle's wet licks on my tits and he never slowed down as I continued. "Miracle's tickling me, though. I can take both of you just fine. Just… keep spanking me, baby. I want my ass as red as the inside of a watermelon when we're done."

"So it shall be. Miracle, let's heighten this up a bit. Use your vibrating tail on her right nipple and leave it there while you focus your mouth on her left."

Miracle squealed in response before he obeyed Malakhai's exact orders and… ohhhh, sh… shit! His cold, wet, and super smooth tongue felt so good while his tail was just making my body tingle all over. After about five slow minutes of it, Malakhai massaged my ass all over for about thirty seconds before…

_**SMACK!**_

"Oooooh, shit, baby!" I screamed out my loudest and Malakhai chuckled behind me while I continued to ride him and mesmerize him with my smooth booty. I know he must be lookin' super horny back there and just kept my pace while Miracle was just… mm! It's no wonder he's always felt so _secure _between my boobs during our missions. He must've been anxious to finally see and taste them. And as I was thinking about that, I heard Malakhai chuckle at me and I was a little pissed. "What the hell?! What's so funny?"

"You're just too adorable when you're in the mood like this." Malakhai replied with sincerity as he massaged my smooth booty for another thirty seconds before he spanked it once more, making me scream my cutest and that made him laugh even louder… exactly proving his point. "Awww, listen to yourself. Doesn't it turn you on?"

"…yeah. It does… it actually does." I have to admit it. I just did listen to my own scream and… holy hot damn! I sounded cuter that I thought. "Spank me again… PLEASE!" Shit, I was desperate!

"Yes' ma'am." Malakhai wasted no time to follow that order and I screamed that same cute scream again and… aaaaaahhhh, fuck! I just made myself shiver at my own voice! Goddamn! AAAAAHHH, MIRACLE! He…. he just made me shoot milk outta my tits and I was just shivering for the next five minutes. Miracle squealed with surprise when he saw this and leaped up towards my right shoulder with wide eyes, watching my tits go all out. Malakhai managed to see this from his spot on the bed and he moaned with satisfaction, probably from feeling my entire body shiver right on his dick and his balls. Now, he knows how good I feel.

"Oh, hell yeah." Malakhai groaned as he slightly sat up, still having me over his dick. "Now, I've never seen this before and it just entices me. It must feel as good as your pussy juice." After that was said, he slowly reached towards my oozing boobs and just held them there to give me relief. My hard tits felt good against his soft hands and I softly moaned after I've been screaming for a while. "Mmmmm… creamy. Shall I still give you one more spanking for it, my love? Or do you just want to fuck as hard as…"

"…humanly possible again?" I finished with my sexiest smirk on my face as I turned towards him in a side-glance, making him show a cool smile right back. "Yeah. I think I've had enough spankings for one night." Seriously, I did. I took a good look at my ass as I said that and it was as red as… tee-hee… well… the inside of a watermelon, just like I expected! Damn, I took those smacks like a bitch! Tee-hee!

I took my time turning my whole body around to face him and I got cute as I slowly leaned towards him with my slender hands sliding across his sweat-drenched pecs. Shit, he was so hard! Miracle sure did show that he had enough as well and flew over to his usual bed in the top dresser drawer closest to the door and decided to watch me and Malakhai finish where we left off. I only hope he doesn't change his mind. I know I sounded selfish just now, especially after what just happened, but in this case, Malakhai's love is really showing how much he cares about both Miracle and I. Dawwww! Hee-hee!

"That performance was indeed enough for you, wasn't it, baby?" Malakhai asked in his usual sexy expert tone, making my pussy shiver. "That booty of yours was actually _redder_ than the inside of a watermelon!"

"And I'll take that pain." I admitted with utmost pride. "Right now, I kinda want your cream to cool it down a little bit." After I said this, I slowly leaned down further for a passionate kiss that was just… mmmm-hmmmm! SHIT! I never wanted this extremely tongue-lashing kiss to end, but eh… like all good things… it had to end eventually… and after five minutes, might I add. Ironically, Malakhai ended the kiss with one of his massive hands firmly giving my sore booty a rubbing massage… with some of my breast milk! Yikes… it felt crazy good! "Ooooooh, baby. You're so slick."

"My cream just won't do, Ibuki-chan. I'm willing to let you do what you please from now on. You deserve it for being such a brave trooper towards my advances." Awww, he's so sweet. Even Miracle agreed with me as he squealed with delight after that was said. "Go ahead. I'm all yours for the taking." Hell yeah, baby! Exactly what I liked to hear!

Several seconds later…

It was an instant replay of the night at the club! Ah! Hot damn! It was feeling sooooo fuckin' good right now as I was seriously riding Malakhai's monster of a dick like a desperate motherfuckin' bitch! I already rode through six orgasms since I started and I never showed any signs of slowing down! Miracle kinda revved me up… literally. His vibrator on my hard tits really did send strong erotic tingles down towards my wet pussy.

Anyway, as I was still fuckin' him as hard as I could, Malakhai never got weak on me. He just held on to my sweaty booty and kept a sweet smile on his face as he just laid there and took it! Aaaahhh! Fuck! I… I'm getting there… SHIT! I gritted my teeth as I was breathing hard, feeling my strongest orgasm coming closer and closer to me every four bounces! Holy sweet fuck! Aaah!

"Mm!" I moaned my loudest as I held on to Malakhai's shoulders tight and he cringed at the feeling of it. I don't mean to hurt this sexy gentleman, but… he has… he… he… oooooooh, shhhhhit... has no idea how good this feels. "Ahhh, baby! Am… am I hurting you?"

"No, not at all, my sweet sexy ninja princess." Malakhai cooed back to me in his sexiest as usual, making me hump him even harder and my moans were getting louder. Hearing this made me moan even louder! I was listening to myself again, damn it! "Your tight grip leads me to believe that you can handle so many obstacles, even sexy ones like this. Mm! We both seem to be getting close. See if you can do this for me: As soon as you feel your warm pussy juices build up inside you, I want you to lift yourself off me and sit back down on my crotch with my cock resting against your quivering ass. I want to feel those warm juices all over me as much as you want my cream on that succulent booty of yours. Do we have a deal?" Ho… holy fuck. He's really asking me this… and I say… heh, heh… well…

"Fuck yeah, we got a deal, Malakhai-baby." I managed to reply as my humping speed got even faster to the point where I couldn't really go any faster. I was leaning back in a sultry curve and everything as I was screaming my ecstasy towards the ceiling, practically sounding like an erotic song towards Malakhai. I couldn't say another word either.

Then, finally... after the slowest twelve minutes I've ever fucked through…

"Aaaahhh… haaaaaa… ooooh, Malakhai… I… oh, shit-I'm gonna…" I… became… breathless! My fifteenth and final orgasm exploded outta me like a massive bomb and, like I promised, I lifted myself off of Malakhai prior to my pussy juice shooting outta me like a water gun! When I sat back down after a few seconds, I was still gushing out my passion water with a vengeance and it just sounded so gross, dude. Malakhai's moans were so deep when he felt this… it practically sounded like he was growling deep within the very back of his throat. Damn, he sounded scary, but I LOVE IT! While I was riding the most intense orgasmic roller coaster I've ever experienced in my life, Malakhai's dick finally squirted some of his creamy shit on my ass and holy shit, it felt so warm compared to mine.

After another two minutes, the sensation got too much for me and I started to cry and scream all at once as I fell forward and just cried my heart out against Malakhai's hard chest while I held him so close… like he was gonna die shortly… but he's okay, I assure you. This gentle giant held me close in his warm arms as my body continued to shiver on its own with practically all my strength and this pretty much went on for another agonizingly slow five minutes and, when I finally slowed down, I was just softly whimpering like a puppy all between Malakhai's pecs and he just kept me warm in his massive arms while he massaged my back with all the passion he held, making me feel like a new woman. It was all quiet after another three minutes and we ended up cuddling up under the covers afterwards. I know their wet from our sex juice and shit, but we didn't give a fuck about it. All that mattered to us… was just simply the fact that we, once again, proved that our love can prosper, no matter what.

And with that in mind, we never said a word after it was all quiet. Miracle was already asleep by that time and Malakhai and I slowly started to drift off to sleep as well… but not without one more passionate kiss on the mouth that was just so intense. Hot damn, he tasted delicious. After a full sixty seconds of it, that's when we finally got even more comfortable and fell asleep without a single word, but we kept our smiles of hope on our faces…

…knowing that tomorrow…

…will be a brand… new… start. Those Tanuki Kickers… are gonna die, baby…

…'cause Sexy-buki ain't goin' nowhere!

To be continued…


	11. Chapter 11: Down to the Wire

Chapter 11: Down to the Wire with Velocity

Once again, Malakhai really proved his love to me his way and it was just too hot to handle, even for me. Tee-hee! Anyway, after that spicy night, Miracle and I continued our dangerous journey with those damn Tanuki Kickers. Even after Val's dramatic exit, we remained focused as we perfectly executed 12 more of those fuckers and their evil canines. It took us three long weeks, but it was totally worth it. Mark was sure to know about this at this point and, if he wants to attack us early, then we'll let him, damn it! I'm ready to kick his ass down to Hell where he belongs!

On this fateful Saturday morning, I woke up from, you guessed it, another night of extremely passionate sex that was even better than the performance we did three weeks ago and this time, Malakhai actually stayed with me. In fact, the very first thing I saw was his handsome smile. That never took my mind off of the fact that Miracle and I were down to the wire with four Tanuki Kickers left and they were gonna be the toughest bastards to come across. He saw that anxiety in my eyes and gently stroked my face with all the passion he could hold as he spoke.

"Anxious, are you?" Malakhai greeted to me with that sexy smile. Damn, I just can't get enough of him. I nodded in response as I admired his face. "You and Miracle have escaped so many near-death experiences for the past three weeks. This Miracle Badge has protected you both so well, baby."

"I know, right?" I asked him tiredly as I gently stroked his soft face. "Miracle and I are practically siblings at this point and I love it! Even Don is bonding a lot more with him now."

"Which is something I'd hoped would happen. Now that you're down to just four Tanuki Kickers left, how will you handle them?" Huh! No idea, really. I was about to say that I wanted to face them all at once, but that could ruin the fun. Besides, since Velocity is another one of those members that doesn't wanna fight, I'm sure we can end this peacefully this time… unlike Val. Ooooh, damn it. I can't believe I still remember that horrifying day with him. He really wanted to join us, but he had to die. I hope there's some way we can pull some strings this time. If there's one thing I hate more than prejudice, it's definitely killing innocent people. Hell, I hate that more than Death itself!

"Well, I wanna face them one-by-one, see if I can get Velocity to join us this time… avenge his stepbrother, Val."

"Oh? I see. You want to see if you can pull a few strings with the police. Sounds like a risky move, if you ask me, baby."

"I know, Malakhai, but I don't wanna kill another innocent person. Hearing Val kill himself and his beautiful dogs just literally pierced my heart that day. Miracle and Don couldn't stand it either. It got to them the most."

"I understand. Let's talk this over with my Father at breakfast first and see what he thinks of your heartwarming proposal. So far, it's convincing enough to make a grown man, such as myself, cry at the sound of such a statement… especially coming from the mouth of one of the fastest and deadliest ninja assassins on the planet. C'mon, let's go." And that's when Malakhai sat up and slipped on a robe before he stepped out the room towards the kitchen. I… can't believe I said that about me just now. It made me feel good and… uh… heh, heh… not to toot my own horn, but… awww, what the hell! He did it already! Tee-hee-hee. I'm terrible.

A few minutes later, in the kitchen…

"What?!" Shaundo asked with shock, which kinda surprised me as I started eating my wholesome breakfast of whole wheat waffles and turkey sausage. "You want a Tanuki Kicka ta join us?! Are ya crazy, 'Buki?" Heh-heh… crazy-buki. Lawl.

"No, Shaundo. I'm a realist." I replied with bravery in my voice. I really wasn't joking about this. Miracle actually smiled at me from his high chair as this continued. "Having Val kill himself really crushed us. I'm not gonna risk having to kill another innocent person again. If he wants to rebel with us, then let him. It'll still make Mark weaker mentally."

"…I don't know, 'Buki. What if Mark finds out 'bout it? What will ya do?"

"I really don't give a fuckin' shit what that bastard does. All that matters is that Velocity and his dog's life will depend on me, Miracle, and Don."

"…hmmm…"

"She sounds convincing to me, Father." Malakhai agreed with a small smile. I can tell he's not one to protest against his own Dad, but what can I say? There will be times in our lives where we have to go against our parents at some point, right? "And, in case you haven't noticed, Velocity hasn't killed any American Tanukis or fellow citizens of this city since his enrollment into the group." Damn, he has a way with words! Is that really true, though? That Velocity hasn't killed anyone since he became a part of this whack-ass gang? Shaundo finally looked convinced after hearing that and even Don was shocked to hear it.

"Huh!" Don muttered with surprise. "No wonder he hasn't been in the news since we got here."

"Yeah, you right, Don." Shaundo agreed as he just finished his second and final waffle before moving on to one of his five pieces of sausage. "Well, Ibuki, if you think you can pull some strings wit da po-po, then I'll allow it, but ya better be careful talkin' to 'em 'bout it. They've really depended on killin' each and e'ry one of them bastards."

"Trust me on this, Shaundo." I reassured with utmost confidence as I just finished my third piece of sausage. "If I convinced my old friend, Sarai, to join the Glade, then I can convince the police to spare Velocity's life. It'll be a breeze."

Five and another fifteen minutes of a shower later…

"Ibuki, are you really sure about this?" Don asked me as I was just getting Miracle snug in my purple tank top and then readjusted my ninja star belt on my sexy blue denim booty shorts. "What if the sheriff doesn't like this proposition?"

"It's a risk I'm willing to take, Don-chan." I replied with practically no feeling of guilt in my cute voice. "I mean, sure I'm trained to kill, but not the innocent. Val was one of them to go to waste, thanks to Mark and his goddamn rules. I'm not gonna kill his stepbrother and that is a promise."

"Not even his dog?"

"I haven't even heard about what his dog looks like, but that won't matter because he's not gonna die either… or she. Who knows?" Miracle squealed in response to that statement and I looked down at him with a loving smile. He just told me that Velocity's dog is a four-year old female Saluki named Symphony. Beautiful name for such a beautiful dog, if ya ask me. "Ah, thanks, Miracle. Velocity's dog is a four-year old female Saluki named Symphony. I hope she's in a pretty color."

"…I hope so, too." Hmm… Don is starting to act like Shaundo before he reluctantly agreed to the deal. He'll change his mind once we talk it over with Sheriff Winderleer. I'm sure of it.

Ten minutes of a car ride later, at the police headquarters…

"Before I agree to that proposal, Ibuki…" Winderleer started as I just explained my idea with Don sitting like a good tanuki next to my feet on my left and Miracle still snug comfortably in my tank top. "…it is true that, despite Velocity's place in the Tanuki Kicker list, he's secretly protesting against Mark. The reason why should be obvious."

"He hates Mark and his fuckin' rules." I guessed with anger in my voice. I just couldn't wait to give that bastard leader a piece of his mind. Getting Velocity on my side comes first… and hopefully, we'll be able to do it without a fight. Sheriff Winderleer nodded at that statement as he continued.

"Yes, exactly. We here at the police department have taken careful precautions to make sure that he was really against Mark and, remarkably, he passed our lie detector test with flying colors… and for that reason alone, we're allowing him to join us, but there's just one problem…" There is? Huh!

"What is it?"

"…he knows about Val's death and he's not joining us until you tell him what happened." Fuck! "Now, I know that seems harsh, but it's understandable in my opinion. If I were you, I'd go ahead and explain it all to him before he joins you. It's literally the only way he can join us. You can't pull any strings there. Once you've explained it all to him, just give us the word on what he says and we'll stand by whatever he decides. Is that clear?"

"…yes, sir." I reluctantly replied after literally thinking in silence for a full thirty seconds. Miracle, Don-chan, and I all had our game faces on as we headed back out to the car and headed on our way towards Velocity's location, which was a shocker to me.

Five minutes into the ride later…

We arrived at Velocity's location: an abandoned prison. What the hell could he be doing here? I kept that question in my head as Miracle just made himself comfortable on my left shoulder this time, which kinda surprised me. He actually felt comfortable about this sorrowful man and so did Don as he actually was a few inches ahead of me on my right side. When we got to the huge metal door, I saw that it was already slightly ajar and I pushed it open, making its squeaking noise pretty loud as it echoed all over the nearly deserted place. Inside, it was dark and eerie, despite the small bits and pieces of sunlight peeping through some cracks in the wall and the cell windows. It was also decorated with cobwebs, dust, and even a few decayed skeletons on both sides of the place. None of it frightened either of us as we ventured deeper into the prison.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour since we arrived, Miracle squealed as his extra sensitive nose picked up the smell of something delicious cooking. I took a good whiff of the aroma myself and it smelled like…

"Barbecue chicken?" I asked my two little brothers. Don paused as he made out the smell as well.

"Oh, it is barbecue, but it's not chicken." Don replied as he and Miracle, who was flying in front of me with his build-in propeller in his tail, were right at the very source of the scent. I saw a good and thick cloud of steam emitting from the iron-barred window of another metal door. Miracle remained hovering as he peeped through the window and squealed softly. He just said that he sees Velocity inside and that made me get serious as I silently commanded both of my tanuki brothers to stay next to me and slowly pushed open the heavy door. When we got inside, we saw the most impressive looking kitchen I've ever seen… especially for an old, run-down, and shitty prison… and right at the stove was a 21-year-old Caucasian man that had short, light brown hair that stopped just below his broad shoulders and he wore a blue jean vest with matching baggy jeans and black leather boots. He had impressive muscles for his short height of four feet and five inches, but they weren't as impressive as Malakhai's and lastly, he rocked the sickest green and black snake tattoo I've ever seen on his left arm. It literally took up his whole arm, having the tail look like it was completely wrapped around his wrist. Overall, Velocity was a bad-ass with a heart of gold, which is what I love on a man sometimes.

Three minutes went by since we got in and Velocity finally turned around to show me that he had a gruesome scar over his right eye that started from the very edge of his hairline and stopped just a few centimeters past his mouth and that same eye was as blank and black as a rodent's while his undamaged eye was normal and hazel brown colored. I, as well as Miracle and Don, never freaked out about his unique appearance and he smiled his best to prove his appreciation. Awww, he's gonna be a sweet fella. I can sense it right here in my heart.

"Well, now." Velocity started in a deep voice that was actually pleasing to hear. It wasn't as deep as Malakhai's, but it was enough to make him sound normal for his age. "It's not every day I get visitors, especially from a marvelous woman like yourself." Aww, shucks. He _is _nice. "Who are you?"

"My name is Ibuki." I introduced myself as I took a seat on a wooden stool at a marble topped island. Miracle stayed on my shoulder while Don just got in my lap right when I took my seat. "You're next on my list and, I've heard from Shaundo that you're not one to be violent towards Miracle's relatives."

"You've been told correct, Miss Ibuki." Velocity took his seat after he said this and placed down his steaming plate of barbecue turkey with steamed rice, smothered in the same sauce. "So, with that being said, I'm guessing that you're here to see if you can allow me in your team. I've been hiding from Mark since this whole American Tanuki killing gang was established. I was forced to join against my will and, as a result, I've never stepped foot out of this place since then." Oh, wow! And he kinda talks like Malakhai with his professional use of words. So far, he's really cool. I like him.

"I knew you were different. So, you really don't like Mark, huh?"

"Indeed. His violent act against Shaundo and Miracle was intolerable and I'm glad they both survived with their respective metallic appendages keeping them alive. I'm hoping you will let me join your team and allow me to assist you in stopping Mark and his demonic Rottweiler, Stone. Have you spoken with the police about it before you arrived?"

"Yeah… and I talked it over with Shaundo as well. They both believe in you."

"…excellent. You really do prove yourself worthy of being an honorable warrior. Now, in order for me to join you officially, you must tell me…" Velocity gave me that look that begged me to tell him what pained me more than Vega's claw going down my back, even with those odd lookin' eyes. "…what in God's name happened to my beloved stepbrother, Val? Did you kill him?" (Sigh)… well… here goes nothing.

"No, I didn't. Just like you, he tried to convince me to let him join us, but I started crying when I told him he had to die, regardless. It was partially his German Shepard twins that caused his trouble. They were dangerous to begin with, but when I met them, they were as well behaved as…" And there she was… blonde-colored Symphony the Saluki just coming into the kitchen with her baby blue eyes looking up at me with sadness as she sat next to her owner on his left side. "…your dog, Symphony. When Val understood the whole thing, I figured he would just surrender himself to me, but instead, he walked back inside his house and shot his two dogs before he shot himself. They didn't necessarily die right before our eyes, but it felt like it. I'm so sorry to tell you this, but it's the truth, Velocity… and I hope you can forgive me and accept my deepest condolences." I bowed down to him after I said this and he made a small smile as he slowly bowed back to me. Symphony did the same thing for about fifteen seconds before her owner spoke.

"He committed suicide after he killed his dogs, huh?" He repeated. I nodded in response with tears streaming down my face. I can already sense that he was internally horrified to hear me say all that, but his small smile was physically hiding that factor very well. "Don't cry, Ibuki-chan. I forgive you with all of my heart and accept your condolences. You feel as though a member of your family has passed away."

"That's exactly how that feels like." It really did. Even Miracle and Don were slowly tearing up as well. "It's not like me to let innocent people die like that… even with honor."

"I understand. Now, in all due respect, I suppose you'd like to know what happened to my face." Velocity paused as he pointed to that blood red scar across his black colored eye. I nodded in response while Miracle offered a small fan from his tail to help me dry my seemingly endless streams of tears. I do admit it… this breeze feels really good right now, despite how upset I am. "Well, before I permanently confined myself in this prison wasteland, I encountered the Xaighazi Twins: Kloninjai and Raivonjai. They're the final two members of the Tanuki Kickers you have to face before you finally face our leader, Mark." Yikes! The final two before Mark are twin brothers. I wonder if they share one dog or have one for each of them. "They're both of Scottish descent and their expertise in the bow and arrow are beyond professional. In fact, they were so good at it… that they also have bows that make excellent spears as well. They hold the rarest breed of the bow and arrow family of weaponry: the DragonKlaw Arrows." WHAT?! I've heard of those. They are so rare that there are only five sets of them in the entire world! I wonder how those twins got a hold of 'em! "You seem shocked. Have you heard of those weapons?"

"Hell yeah, I've heard of them!" I replied by the time my tears finally stopped, thanks to Miracle's handy-dandy fan. "There's only five sets of those 500 arrows in the whole world! How did they get those?"

"Who knows? All I can tell you is that they're extremely good at using them. Anyway, when I faced those twins, they somehow found out about my secret rebellion against Mark and we fought a valiant fight until it ended in my demise by a simple slash of Raivonjai's bow, right where this scar is. He's the oldest twin by only three minutes ahead of Kloninjai."

"My God! Are they just as powerful by themselves?"

"Unfortunately, yes. And also, performing your famous ninjitsu skills against them will prove to be a futile struggle. They've developed a sixth sense that's ten times more powerful than yours and not even the world's most advanced cloaking device wouldn't be able to hide your presence." Well… shit. What's a kunoichi to do, then? Hmmm… "So, what will you do, Master Ibuki?"

"Hold up! Before I answer that, I must tell you that you've been accepted into our team."

"Good. I promise to give you all the assistance you'll need to survive against those dangerous twins and their beloved Basenji, VJ." Damn, they share a dog. That makes it… better… I think.

"Secondly, I think that, what we're gonna do, is come up with a plan so flawless… those twins will have no idea what hit 'em. I'm gonna let you finish eating first while I contact the police and let them know that you're joining us."

"Take your time, Ibuki. Those twins are locked away in a mansion of their own. They know they'll be lynched right where they stand if they take even one small step out their front door." I nodded in understanding after that was said and pulled out my cell phone as I called Sheriff Winderleer to tell him that Velocity's joining us. During that time, Symphony approached me and, by the time Don sensed it and leapt up to the table and sat there like a good tanuki, she propped her slender paws on my left leg and just laid her head down between them as a sign of her thanks for letting her and her handsome owner help us out through this epic struggle between life and death.

During my conversation with the Sheriff, I gently massaged the gorgeous dog between her silky haired ears with my respective hand and it was just silent on Velocity, Miracle, and Don's perspective. We all knew that this was gonna be it. With Velocity on our side, we'll not only be able to avenge Val, but also put an end to Mark's reign of terror once we kick those twins' asses down to Hell where they belong. One part of the plan was already written down in my head: Miracle, Don, and Symphony will handle VJ and only VJ alone. As for Velocity and I… well…

…let me just say that Velocity is about to become the male version of me.

To be continued…


	12. Chapter 12: Rage of the Xaighazi Twins

Chapter 12: The Rage of the Xaighazi Twins – Part 1

Getting Velocity into our rebellion was easier than passing my secondary ninja training. Now, it was really time to step up our game with the bloodthirsty Xaighazi Twins: Kloninjai and Raivonjai. After hearing how Velocity faced those bastards and managed to survive with a scarred black eye, thanks to the rarest DragonKlaw Arrow set known to man, attacking them head on seems to be the only option… and the best way to do it… was to have two of me fighting them. So, training Velocity was my top priority at this point. There was just one problem with that…

"We gotta train in privacy." I muttered with boredom after I just got off the phone with Sheriff Winderleer. Velocity looked up from his plate as he was just starting on the last of his meal, which was the turkey leg, and paid close attention to me while Don and Miracle were sitting like good tanukis as they faced him and Symphony just made her way back to her owner and sat like the beautiful Saluki she was. "If the twins were to even take a small peek at our training, they'll know what to do to us head on… or head off rather. Yeech!"

"Hm!" Velocity hummed in agreement. "You suspect that they intend on slicing our heads off as their way of defeating us."

"Well, as lethal as that scar is on your face, I reckon they could, if they had the chance."

"Indeed, but Ibuki, if you really do intend to make me into a male version of you, how do you plan to make it private?"

"Don't know, really. Do the twins know you live here?"

"That's the best part about this place. They don't." YES! FUCK YES! We can train here! I maintained my excitement on the outside, though. "Just the sight of this building makes them a wee bit squeamish."

"And I can't blame them. Well, that makes it better. We'll train right here in this place. Is that okay with ya?"

"Suits me just fine." Hearing this made Miracle squeal his happiest before he used his handy-dandy tail to fly up to the kind gentleman and give him a loving hug that was just too adorable to me. I couldn't help but smile. "Awww. I appreciate the love, Miracle. Thank you. I'm glad you don't fear me."

"I see no reason why he should. Now, about Symphony…"

"Despite not killing any of Miracle's friends, she has been professionally trained to attack on command when necessary… and trust me. When she attacks, she doesn't give any mercy to anyone she sinks her hound teeth into." Ooooooh… enough said. She's trained to be vicious, but only when she needs to, eh? Handy! I like it! "That sounds very satisfactory to your kunoichi ears, yes?" Awww, he's reminding me of Malakhai right now.

"Definitely, yeah. So, no training for her, right?"

"She's perfectly fine with her training. You can just focus on me, Master Ibuki."

"Good." Don, Miracle, and Symphony can sit this one out. "Well, as soon as you let the food digest for thirty minutes, we can start your training. I should warn ya. Since you're gonna be just like me, you gotta have patience. My famous Neck Breaker move isn't easy to pull off the first few times. I wanna avoid those arrows at all costs."

"They say patience is a virtue and I plan to use it at all times, Master."

"Excellent. As of this moment, you are officially my student." And that's kinda strange, considering that he's a year older than me. Eh, what the hell? We all gotta go backwards somewhere at some point in our lives, right?

And just like that, after a good thirty minutes of allowing Don, Miracle, and Symphony to eat and do their bathroom business in the backyard, Velocity's training was underway and, for a first timer, he was actually doing really well. Of course, I went over the basics with him first. For someone so short, he had a really good sense of balance. He managed to stay on top of a vertical flagpole on one foot for a good ten minutes and never lost his footing! It was incredible! He impressed me even more when he decided to try to throw several kunai in mid-air. He managed to throw fifteen of those suckers before he landed back on his feet smoothly. Damn, he's fast on his learning! By the time we were about to start the wall climbing test, Don just had to put in his two cents on this whole training session.

"Whoa!" He exclaimed with a bit of humor. "He's progressing faster than you, Ibuki!"

"Don, shut up!" I spat back with just as much humor and anger all at the same time. I do admit it, though. I am a bit jealous of Velocity's learning speed. It took me as long as my entire childhood to master my ninja skills, but so far, Velocity's learning everything in just over three hours and it's just amazing to me! "Although, I do have to ask, Vel… how the hell are ya learning so fast? It took me my entire childhood to learn all this."

"I have been known to be quite a fast learner back during my childhood." Velocity admitted and that smile on his face proved it. "Even when it comes to learning new ways of defense, I'm never too far away from overpowering my instructor."

"Huh! No kiddin'. Anyway, we're about to start one of the hardest tests I've ever had to do: wall climbing. All you have to do is race me up this wall." We were facing a blackened brick wall and it was looking like it was falling apart. But, there is a way to beat it… "This will test your speed as well as your senses. This wall is decaying fast, but we can beat it just as fast before the bricks fall off after every touch we make."

"So, overall, this race isn't about who makes it to the top first. It's about beating this wall before it fails to support us both." Velocity guessed perfectly. I nodded in response, keeping a serious glare in my eyes. "Sounds reasonable enough. Outsmarting any kind of weakness can be a major part of escaping your enemies."

"I'm so glad you understand the moral of this lesson." Really, I was. That's the same exact thing Enjo said to me back when I had to do this test shortly after my thirteenth birthday. It doesn't matter whose weakness you have to avoid. You just have to outsmart it somehow and breeze past it like it was a butterfly flying past your face. I've kept that message deep inside my brain and have never lost it since. "Alright, Velocity. Are you ready?"

"Born that way." Velocity and I got into our ready positions simultaneously and after mentally counting down from three, we both made a jump up the wall and hung on to it for dear life before we started scrambling up like the floor was gonna cave in. We were literally neck-in-neck and nobody was ahead of the other! So, yeah, it really was a test to actually beat the wall before it broke under our weight… and it was breaking apart fast after every step we took with both our hands and feet. We never looked down neither as we finally made it to the ceiling after a good three minutes of climbing the fifteen foot wall and we made a graceful leap for the vent by planting our feet flat against the fragile bricks and pushing off towards the huge shaft in the ceiling, grabbing the edge on the way and flipped up and in. By the time we peeked back out to see our damage to the wall, we saw about seventy-five percent of the black bricks toppled over, making a pretty damn good mess. When it got quiet, Velocity snapped his fingers and the rest of the bricks fell just a second after, shocking me as well as both of my little tanuki brothers. Symphony looked like she's seen it before and laid down to the famous 'Laying-at-the-Master's-Feet' position to even further her proof as an unimpressed dog.

"Holy shit!" I exclaimed. "What the hell was that?"

"I used this technique against the twins before my demise." Velocity replied in his expert tone that just makes me think about Malakhai at every second. Even my pussy heard him. Seriously! I'm getting wet down there right now! I swear! "I attacked Raivonjai upon his chest with a harsh punch to his chest, but he never looked fazed by the hit… until I snapped my fingers. He felt extreme pain right where I punched and that's what pissed him off and triggered him to slice me right on my face as his counterattack before I ran off in defeat." Holy fuck, dude! He pulled off 'The Touch of the Assassin Named Gen'. Yeech! I cannot forget that technique! He just tapped my forehead and I felt a major headache that made me pass out for an hour. Damn, I'll never forget that!

"…oh, wow. No wonder he gave you that final blow. That could've killed him."

"But, it didn't, unfortunately. Both twins are probably making some major modifications to their equipment to make absolutely certain that it will never happen again."

"Aww, gee. No shit." We both got out of the vents and landed on our feet after I said that, dusting ourselves off as we continued. "Well, that test went by a little too fast. You wanna take a quick break?"

"I suppose we can. I need you to check on those twins for me while I rest a while. That Neck Breaker technique nearly made me snap some ligaments of my own."

"Yeah, it happens on the first try all the time, but your body will get used to it after a while. I'll go ahead and check on those bastard twins. See if they really did recalibrate their weapons a little bit." Just a second after that was said, Miracle flew up towards me and took a quick snug between by boobs, ready to go. Seeing this made us both giggle. "Tee-hee. He's never too far away from joining me."

"Miracle treats you as if you were his biological sister." Velocity added, making me smile with admiration. "It's no wonder he's risked his life numerous times, just to save you from sudden death from my fellow Tanuki Kickers. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that he wouldn't mind putting his life on the line once more in this battle against the Xaighazi Twins. I'm sure that, whatever he decides to do, it'll be worth the risk."

"…" I remained speechless as I nodded in understanding before Miracle and I left to check on those dangerous twins. Don decided to stay there with Velocity, in case something happens before we returned. My smile of appreciation never left my soft lips as I got in the car and headed for the Xaighazi Mansion. The way to find out what they're up to was to use something I know Miracle has within his multifunctional tail:

"Miracle, you feel like recording some voices for me?" I asked him as I was focused on the road with the adorable American Tanuki sitting up against the stick shift with his front paws right on top of it. He looked up at me and made a few squeals as a response. I translated and I was right. He did have a hidden microphone in his tail. He was just nervous about the whole operation. "Don't worry. It's gonna be okay. They may be able to detect Velocity and I, but I don't think they can detect you. You have a crazy scent mixture of animal and machine. There's no way you can be spotted. Not even their dog can smell ya. I have high hopes for ya." Miracle squealed with confidence this time. He was determined to make me proud and I felt the same way towards him, Shaundo, and Malakhai. He also added that this'll be his first time doing something by himself since he met me. I stopped the car just five miles away from the house before I picked him up to put it in park as I continued to encourage him. "I know it's your first time alone since you've met me three weeks ago, but you've been through so much Hell and high water with me since then and you've been a trooper each and every day. If you can pull off just sneaking into this mansion and recording any plans they might have for us, I will officially call you _my_ hero. Sound like a good deal?" Miracle squealed once in response and he snuggled between by breasts in such a cute way… it made me cry happy tears while I held him closer with all the love I could give. "You can do this, Miracle. I know you can. You've been really living up to your name. Now's not the time to quit. What's your time limit on recording?" Miracle squealed a few multiple tones again. He said that he can record up to a good five minutes worth of voices. That's good enough to me. "Five minutes, huh? Sounds like enough time. There it is." I just pointed out the mansion to him and Miracle turned towards the same direction with pride in his deep cobalt blue eyes. "Have you been here before?" The adorable little Miracle nodded in response and that was all he did before he put his propeller to the metal, zooming off towards that huge mansion on the same left side as us. I watched him with courage in my heart and silently prayed for his safe return.

Forty minutes later…

I heard a squeal right outside my window and that made me wake up from my thirty minute nap in a heartbeat. I saw Miracle had just flown in, landed in front of the stick shift, and immediately summoned out a USB cord to plug into the MP3 USB port of the radio. Since it was already on, I turned up the volume right after I rolled up the mechanized windows and we both listened in to what my second little bro had recorded.

"Hey, Kloninjai!" Started a pretty decent near-Scottish accented male voice. He sounded deeper than Velocity, but not as deep as Malakhai. "Did ya hear from dem coppas yet?"

"No, not yet, Raivonjai." Replied a lighter toned near-Scottish accent. He sounded like he could be a part-time comedian, but Miracle and I never laughed at it as the conversation continued all over my car's speakers. "We still can't step out dere, eh?"

"Not until dat Ibuki lass comes ova to fight us ta da death. From what I've heard, she'll have Miracle wit 'er, nice 'n snug in her boobs. Wot can we do about it?"

"Da best way we can deal wit it… is to simply try to get Miracle out witout touchin' 'im. Once we do dat, we can do Mark a fava and kill 'im right where dey stand. It's gonna be a long shot, though."

"It oughta be. Knowin' 'Buki, she's pretty fast on dem ninja feet. Ya think we'll be able ta catch up?"

"She won't stand a chance. I've got a surefire plan up me sleeve. She won't even have a wee little chance to attack once she steps in the door. Heh-heh-heh-heh!"

"You cleva bastard, you! Eh-heh-heh-heh!"

_**CLICK!**_

Why that little… OOOOOOH, I CAN'T STAND THOSE FUCKERS! They already have it all planned out. They're gonna try to get Miracle off my shirt somehow! I _cannot_ let that happen! No way, José! Miracle shivered with fear after we finished hearing the recording and I picked him up and held him close to my chest for comfort with an angry glare in my brown eyes. I stared out into the street in deep thought about what to do now. With our training nearly complete with two more lessons left before we face those twins, we had to quickly step up our game and step it up fast. We'll have to keep Miracle with us, but at a safe distance. I'm sure Velocity has an idea. If not, then I know who to contact for a second opinion. With that in mind, I gently snuggled the little Miracle back in my tank top between by boobs and drove back to Velocity's hideaway to not only finish our training, but to tell him about the Xaighazi Twins' huge plan to execute Miracle. I only hope he can find us a weakness somewhere. It might be dangerous to outsmart them, but whatever. This is for the sake of my little Miracle.

By the time we made it back to Velocity's hideout, he was already outside walking Symphony again for another potty break. I got out of the car with a look of total distaste on my face and that got his attention fast, even though Symphony was busy taking a piss.

"Were you able to get any information on the Xaighazi Plans?" He asked me, reading my face. I nodded once with authority and Miracle was still shaking in my shirt. He lost his courage that fast and it was time to get it back over a serious session of the last two lessons in Velocity's training. "Judging by that look on your face, it must be serious. How about we talk it over our last two lessons in my training, Master Ibuki?"

"Good idea." I finally spoke after what seemed like forever. I made my way inside and Velocity and Symphony followed me not too long afterwards. The last two lessons were easy. All he had to do was learn how to use smoke bombs properly and learn my Hashinsho combo. I'm keeping the Yoroitoshi to myself. It was gonna be epic, but that depends on what he tells me after I explain what the Xaighazi Twins had said about Miracle and I.

Five minutes later, after we got all the animals settled down, including placing the still scared Miracle on Symphony's back this time while she sat like a good girl, Velocity and I got right back to training. The smoke bomb test went by without a hitch, but when it was time for him to start learning my famous Hashinsho combo, that's when I started explaining what Miracle and I heard from those motherfuckin' twins. He started the small beat down intro to the combo towards a punching bag while I explained it all and, by the time he was in position to jump up and finish it off, he looked over at me with a look of total shock, just as I expected. As for me, I kept a smooth look of anger on my face as I continued.

"Hard to believe, ain't it?" I started as I stood there just a few inches away from the punching bag, leaned up against a wall with crossed arms. I was just as pissed as he was, even though he was still looking surprised in the face. "They really do plan to take me down right at the door and leave Miracle completely defenseless, especially since now he's more afraid than I was when I had to fight Gill."

"It's just shocking to me! How could they think so concretely about this whole situation?" Velocity asked as he started to stand up straight. "My guess is that once they see you approach their porch, one of them will be ready with an arrow and shoot you where you're sure to die instantly: at the neck."

"I figured that, considering that those arrows are strong enough to cut blood flow to your heart, no matter where they hit. The neck is the ultimate weak spot for those arrows. You don't even get a chance to breathe."

"Exactly. Since, technically, there's going to be two of you once I execute this final lesson, we're going to have to plan something I know would be considered insane to some, but handy to us: Miracle… will have to stay at home with Shaundo and Malakhai." WHAT?! Now, I'm the one who's speechless and shocked all at once. I uncrossed my arms to prove it, too. Leave Miracle at home?! That sounds… crazy! "I… knew that would mystify you to the highest extent. Since they expect him to be there, leaving him with his caretakers will let the Xaighazi Twins' guard down long enough for us to execute them effortlessly. Don will have to take his place."

"…no." I struggled to get that word out. The reason why is obvious. Velocity was shocked once more after hearing that come out of me in a repentant semi-whisper. "I won't let Miracle stop being _my _little miracle. I told him now was not the time for him to quit and he's not going to… even though there's a good 50-50 chance that I'll die before we can even attack. I'm sure he can guard me somehow. He just has to believe in himself."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Look, he's living just like me… an outcast trying to fit in, even though he's forced to live with what made him uncomfortable at first, but got used to it after a while. Going through a near-death experience furthered his confidence and now many challenges await him, even long after we finally kill those twins and Mark… and ever since then, he's been thriving to live up to his name. His name is Miracle for many more reasons than most people think and, in my opinion, that factor alone is enough to convince anyone who stands in his way that he can be the strongest and bravest animal in the entire world! You send him home now and that's an instant message saying that _you _don't believe in him. I mean, I respect Shaundo and I love Malakhai with all my heart, but until this blows over, Miracle is staying with me. If you don't like it, then all it takes is a phone call to Sheriff Winderleer and you'll die by my bare hands!" There! I said it. I expressed what I could've kept to myself, but it had to be said, for Miracle's sake. I really do mean every word and Velocity showed a look that said 'I'm Sorry' all over it. I even started crying tears of hope as he slowly approached me and gave me an embrace that was warm and full of pride. I returned it while I cried on his left shoulder, glad to see that he understood where I was going.

"There, there, Master Ibuki." Velocity started right in my left ear in a sweet tone of his handsome voice. "Let it all out. Your argument has been glued to my brain's sense of direction and I agree with every last word. Your bond with Miracle is indeed a powerful one and not one person shall break it, even with brute force. I'm sorry for doubting him and I hope you can forgive me." I sure do… with all my heart. I nodded in response with my face still buried in his shoulder. I was really full of all the faith and courage I could possibly contain in my small, slender kunoichi body. Even Miracle started feeling bad for me as I felt him perch his soft body on my right shoulder and cuddled his head against my neck and under my chin as a sign that he too agreed with my entire speech. Don came up not too far behind him as I felt him purr against my legs. That was the best he could do, since we were in this group hug. I even felt Symphony's sorrow from here, but she kept her distance because she felt that my tanuki brothers deserved more from me. This scene lasted for a good three minutes before we finally broke the hug and Miracle volunteered to wipe my tears the old fashioned way with his silky paws as Velocity continued. "With that speech being said in the most sincere manner possible, there is simply nothing more for you to say. You've made your point perfectly clear and I do agree that Miracle shall accommodate us on this second-to-final mission to permanently shut down the Tanuki Kickers once and for all. Now, let's see if I can end this Hashinsho as strong as your words of gallantry. Once I do, we can move along with killing those twins." So glad he agreed with me. There really was nothing more for me to say. I was completely silent for the rest of Velocity's training. Fortunately, it only took him exactly five minutes to perfectly execute my Hashinsho combo and he barely broke a sweat after that. That was a sign that he really was ready to achieve what I believe we can do, no matter how hard we have to try.

Several minutes after that, I allowed Velocity to take the wheel this time as we made our way towards the Xaighazi Mansion. I was a peaceful and silent car ride, even with Symphony's head sticking out the right side back window. Don was sitting there like a good tanuki with his seat belt on back there as well and as for me and Miracle, he felt comfortable on my right shoulder while I kept a serious game face on. His metal tail wasn't even wagging either. It felt cold against my skin, but it didn't bother me in the least. All that mattered right now was the total destruction of those goddamn twins. Velocity kept his game face on as well as he kept his eyes on the road. I didn't know what was brewing in his mind, but I'll bet he's worried that the twins will discover that he's still alive after their last encounter. I decided to make that my conversation starter, since that's partially what this whole battle could be about by the time we get there.

"Velocity, aren't you worried about how pissed off the twins will get when they see you?" I asked with all the curiosity in my adorable voice. This made Miracle turn towards him with just as much wonder as the former Tanuki Kicker nodded in response while he still kept his eyes on the road.

"I must admit, I am a little fearful of how they'll approach me when they see that I survived their last attack." Velocity replied. "They really thought a single slash across my eye would kill me, thanks to that DragonKlaw Bow."

"I figured that."

"Now, since you brought that up, I should let you know a few things about them." Excellent! My ears are open, baby. Let's hear it. "They both have been trained assassins since they officially passed their training with their father at their age of ten. In fact, they started their training just a day after their beloved mother died of breast cancer when the twins were five… because all three of them knew the mother would never allow her sons to perform such violent acts, even with arrows." Wow! They started training at five and passed their courses at ten? Sheesh! They made their training look easy, I bet. "Here's the shocking fact: Remember when you asked me how those twins acquired that rare bow and arrow set?"

"Yeah." Uh, oh…

"Well, I actually do know how they got them: Their father, whose name is Xianchev Xaighazi, stole those two of those sets for his sons from an anonymous dealer in China… and it happened during the twins fifteenth birthday." WHAT?! Another five year span since they mastered their archery skills and that's how they got the arrows by then! Even Miracle and Don was shocked as they both squealed simultaneously. Don rarely squeals, by the way. He only does that when… well… when he's overly surprised about what he sees or hears. Symphony never made a sound. Looks like she's heard this story before. "The mystery behind this whole crime, and it still lingers today, is how he managed to travel out of the country without the twins knowing. All we know now… is that their father is still alive and imprisoned for life because of the steal."

"How old are the twins, for Pete's sake?!" I had to ask because, judging by this story, it seems like all this bullshit happened so fast and we didn't know it.

"Fortunately, Raivonjai and Kloninjai are now thirty years old. They don't look their age, though." Oh, whew. I was worried, but holy crap! What a fascinating story. They've had those arrows for fifteen years. I'm scared of what they might do to us once we step in the door. "Their age also doesn't define their low energy. They have loads of it and they're even experts at various booby traps. So, keep your eyes and ears open for anything."

"Got it! What about their dog, VJ?" Cannot forget about the dog. "Will you let Symphony deal with him?"

"Symphony may be trained to be vicious on command, but VJ's a far more dangerous canine than her. So, she will need Don's assistance."

"And Miracle's staying with me."

"Yes, precisely. Shall we call Shaundo and confirm this mission to him?"

"So he won't be worried, yeah." I pulled out my cell phone after I said this and plugged it in to the radio before I dialed Shaundo's number. We heard the other line ringing all over the car's speakers and, after two rings and after we finally pulled over at the same exact spot I parked at before when we gathered the twins' plans, it finally picked up and it was actually Malakhai who answered.

"Hey, baby." He started all over the speakers, making me blush. Velocity looked over at me with a smile of humor before he shook his head the same way and kept quiet. "I'm guessing you're about to take on the Xaighazi Twins."

"Yeah." I replied. "Is Shaundo there?"

"He is, but he's taking a nap right now. Did you want me to tell him that you're about to fight?"

"As soon as you can. I know he's already praying for me."

"And so am I, Ibuki. Do whatever you can to stop them… and please make sure Miracle doesn't get hurt. His fellow Tanuki American friends are already fearing the worst for him."

"Tell them they have no need to. It looks like Miracle's finally gaining the courage he should've had a long time ago. He's not letting anything hold him back, even his tail. Right, Miracle?" My second little bro screeched at the top of his lungs as his response and that just made me smile. "Yeah, he's ready and he's gonna live up to his name. I have total faith in him, Malakhai."

"I know you do and so do we. I wish you all the best on Shaundo and the Tanuki Americans' behalf as well as mine. Remember what I told you?"

"You wanna see blood all over me when I return."

"Yes, you remembered… even if it's _yours._ I know the fight is gonna be gruesome."

"Glad you already know that." And I'm relieved that he's allowing some of my blood to count this time. "Thanks for the encouragement, Malakhai. I love you."

"I love you more, my sexy ninja warrior. Goodbye."

"Bye, baby." We hung up after that and Velocity still kept his smile of humor. "What? He's my boyfriend. What did you expect?"

"I expected you to keep your pet names to yourselves." Velocity replied, answering, what was supposed to be, a rhetorical question. Had to be so damn literal, I tell ya. I still like him as a close friend, though. "Anyway, are you ready to face my arch enemies?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Velocity turned off the car after that was said and, as soon as I opened my door, Miracle made his way to the front of me, but he didn't snuggle himself between by breasts this time. He just… clung on to my chest… like a baby koala clinging to its mother. This shocked me and the others, especially Don. "What the…? Miracle, what are you doing?"

"I… think he knows how to protect ya." Don quoted as he got up on my back and hung in there. "Does he have a shield or something?"

"He probably does." Velocity replied after I approached him from around the front of the car with Symphony getting on his left side by the time we were next to each other. "We'll just have to wait and see. He might know what's going to happen when we get inside the mansion." And that's when Miracle squealed three different tones and nodded as his response to that last statement, making me jump with surprise.

"…huh! Well, cover me then." That's… all I could say, really. Shaundo did say that he is far more intelligent than the average tanuki, American or not. I said I had faith in him and that's not gonna change. Whatever he does, he'll do it _his _way. That alone makes me so proud already… and we haven't even started fighting yet!

It took us a good three minutes before we finally reached the set of five stairs towards the roomy porch to the pure white three-story mansion. It had blue shutters and matching front double doors. Overall, this house was indeed built for an heir to a royal family. Before we headed up the stairs, we got prepared pretty fast. Velocity had his own arsenal of some kunai knives I loaned him and a few ninja stars as well. As for me, I had a set of my own, of course. We hid them very well in our respective pockets, especially since Velocity was wearing a vest. He had pockets on the inside and that came in handy. Since he was familiar with this mansion, I allowed him to go in first and he took his sweet time getting up there with his beautiful Saluki not too far behind, ready for any attacks from their Basenji, VJ. The anxiety was taking over me, but I never broke a sweat. That tells ya that my life as a ninja really pays off here… and I feel so damn good about it.

When we finally reached the door, Velocity checked the doorknob and he was surprised to find that it was unlocked! Are they serious?! They're askin' for it! We stayed cautious, though, as Velocity finally opened the door… _slowly_… and he took a quick peek around the living room. He started to get a little concerned as he spoke.

"It's way too quiet." He said to me in his deepest tone since I've met him. It really was too quiet and I didn't like it… because silence can be dangerous if you're not careful. Just because you can't see your enemy, it doesn't mean that they're not there. "They must've known we'd be here. An arrow could come at us any moment, so be ready." And that's when Miracle made a pretty harsh hissing sound and his tiny claws kinda pinched me a little bit. I couldn't translate that hiss, though… but still… ow.

"Ah!" I exclaimed softly as I felt those claws. Velocity turned towards me with just as much shock. "What the hell, Miracle?!"

"What did he do?"

"He just pinched my boobs with his claws."

"Didn't you translate that hiss before the small attack?"

"Couldn't get a word out."

"I did." Don came in from behind me. "He's telling you to move on in. He knows what's gonna happen." Thank God, he can be my back-up translator! There are some sounds I haven't heard from tanukis yet and that hiss was one of them. I gotta study the language more, damn it. Velocity and I nodded after that last statement and we obeyed my little Miracle as we took a few careful steps forward, having Symphony in front of us this time. She started growling by the time all five of us were inside the living room and it was still silent. Both Velocity and I looked all around for any sign of the twins and it was just so confusing. They leave the door unlocked and they're not in here. Right when I was about to ask where they might be hiding, both Miracle and Symphony gave out a loud squeal and bark respectively before little Miracle aimed his tail towards the ceiling, pointing to my right, while the Saluki was facing the ceiling as well, but was pointing in the opposite direction. Even Don's senses started kicking in as well as he was growling in Miracle's direction. Finally! Something's cookin' and we were ready.

"Prepare yourselves." Velocity commanded and I kept my sixth sense in check as I looked in Miracle's direction while Velocity did the same towards Symphony's direction.

Twenty seemingly slow seconds later…

There it was! An arrow coming straight for me, but Miracle's tail never ceased to amaze me as it suddenly opened up like an upside down umbrella and it deflected that same arrow with ease, like there was something very slippery on the metal shield, and it made the arrow curve and stick right into the expensive blue carpeting. Then, I heard the small sound of something else being activated within the shield and Miracle roared… in the cutest way possible, might I add… and shot out another one of his poison darts towards the same spot where the arrow came from and…

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH, DAMN IT ALL!"

…HA! Bull's-eye!

Miracle made a direct hit to one of the twins, right in his left arm, and he fell out of the ceiling, landing hard on the carpet face first. He was at a decent height of five feet and seven inches, but his muscle capacity certainly wasn't decent, seeing that he's just about as strong as my sexy Malakhai. The dart still harmed him, despite all that muscle, though. He also had beautiful fire orange straight hair that stopped to the middle of his back by the time he sat against the wall and his purple eyes were pretty odd to see… the color, I mean. They're normal human eyes, but they were in a very rare color you don't really see in humans these days. All in all, these twins were indeed living up to their reputation as strong-willed archers. Miracle, Don, and I kept our guard up while I just heard another arrow shoot out in Velocity and Symphony's direction, but that bark I heard was probably a sign that she stopped the arrow with her teeth before it could even pierce either one of them. As for me, I pointed three kunai knives at this twin's face, like I was a cat ready to strike, as I silently told my tanuki brothers to ease up for a moment. I had to talk some sense into this fucker!

"Don't think we never knew you were hiding your cowardly ass." I started out smoothly, intimidating him with my fierce game face. The half-Scottish twin finally gained the strength to look up at me and wasn't even frightened by me as he spoke. "I hear you two are true archery warriors. At least, try to attack me like you are."

"Humph!" He started. "Look who's talkin', ninja bitch." Oooooh! I hate him already!

"Look, dude! Don't test me today! You know you deserve this for being such a douchebag towards those innocent Tanuki Americans. You must've killed more than Mark."

"Ay, it's true that we have killed one more than Mark, but that doesn't mean nothin'! Are you that Ibuki lass we've heard so much 'bout?"

"What the fuck do you think, dumb-ass?" All this small talk really wasn't getting nowhere, but it was gonna build up eventually… and Miracle never let his shield down. Hearing that question made him chuckle. "What's so funny?!"

"Oh, it's just a good laugh seeing you acting so tough… especially for a wee little lass like yaself."

"I'm not little! I'm twenty years old and in college! I also happen to love attacking head on to bastards like you."

"I see. Mm!" He pulled out the dart at that last statement and slowly stood up, probably feeling woozy from the poison. "The name's Raivonjai." I knew it! It's the older twin, just as I wanted. "I see Miracle hasn't let up."

"He's got more courage than you think. He isn't called Miracle for nothing."

"…I… I suppose… ya… ya… ugh…" At that last sigh, Raivonjai finally collapsed back down on the carpet floor unconscious. The poison finally gave in and he was down and out…

…at least, I hope so. My sixth sense is trying to tell me otherwise, but just seeing him affected by the poison was enough to make me celebrate mentally.

Anyway, I turned around towards Velocity and Symphony and I jumped just slightly when I heard a ninja star finally make contact with something… or some_one_. As it turned out, as soon as Miracle lowered his super cool metal tail shield and just hung in there, Kloninjai made his way down in pain in his right arm. I cringed when I saw that he landed right on floor face first and heard a sickening crack as the two ninja stars pierced through him even more! Yeech! Now, that's gotta hurt, dude. Velocity did a fine job for his first try with these weapons. Symphony kept her defense in check as the younger twin slowly started to sit up, but never tried to stand. He looked just like his older brother, only with another rare eye color: lavender. Seriously, what the fuck is up with these guys in having shades of purple for their eye color?! Maybe it's a disorder or something, but I really don't give a shit at this point.

"I'm guessing Raivonjai is down for the moment." Velocity quoted as I stood next to him in my defensive position with Don growling next to Symphony in front of us. I nodded in response with a look of concern on my face and I was hoping he wouldn't read it, but eh… "How come you're not looking too happy about it?" Yeah, wouldn't ya know it?

"My sixth sense." I replied with honesty. "It keeps telling me that he may be down, but he's got something brewing and I don't like it. I'm literally breaking out in a cold sweat just trying to ignore it."

"Mm! And I can't say I don't believe you. We must keep our guard up, if we want to triumph over these dangerous twins." Ugh! Ya tellin' me. Damn sixth sense! LEAVE ME ALONE!

"Ya bloody bastard!" Kloninjai cursed as he tried so hard to pull out the two ninja stars that were stuck in his massive arms pretty well. I'm hoping blood spews out of him once he does and render him in a coma rather than just unconscious. "Yo' gonna pay fo' dat!" He finally pulled them out and, to our surprise, the wounds healed up completely! This made us lower our defenses in extreme horror, including Don and Symphony, who allowed the frightened tanuki brother of mine to cower under her for protection. Miracle grew scared as well as he crawled behind me for cover and just held on there, shivering. "Heh, heh, heh, heh… didn't know we could heal, did ya?" Uh, oh… he said _we_. That… didn't sound good. "There's only one way to stop us, but there's no way in Hell that I'll tell ya."

"Unbelievable! Since when did you acquire healing abilities?!" Exactly what I would like to know!

"Since our Dad was imprisoned fifteen years ago. They were God-given and we couldn't be any happier for 'em. Now, then…" Kloninjai stood up at an uncomfortably slow pace and seeing this made Don and Symphony get back into defensive mode while Velocity and I were still shocked about the fact that these twins gained healing powers from out of nowhere. Now, I'm starting to believe my sixth sense. "…how 'bout we start dis shit, eh?" Kloninjai pulled out his bow and started to aim an arrow at Velocity, but he quickly placed my Neck Breaker technique into excellent use and made a perfect slide under the shot arrow, which was coming at me, but I made a graceful leap, made some two and a half revolutions in the air, and ended up landing kneeled down, facing Raivonjai, who was just regaining his strength, due to his healing powers. I had my kunai knives at the ready behind me while I stayed in this position and kept my guard up, having Don being just as defensive on my right. Miracle was finally able to man-up again and started snarling with all the fury he had while he stayed on my left shoulder. Damn, he wasn't kidding! It had me all curious as to what weapon he would use next, but I kept that to myself as the older twin finally got on his feet and started to aim an arrow at me with practically no effort.

"I see you two came prepared." Raivonjai quoted with a smooth smirk on his face. I wasn't gonna let his small talk get the best of me. I stayed kneeled down and I was just looking up at him with dark anger in my brown eyes.

"What the fuck made you think we wouldn't be ready?!" I spat back, despite my position. I decided to play along anyway. It makes the fight more interesting, ya know. I still prepared my knives for an attack, however. He was looking completely oblivious at this point.

"Heh, heh, heh… careful, lass. You're making ninjas look bad, fighting against an archer who's been gifted for many eons." Smart ass bastard…

"Oh, don't flatter yourself, motherfucker!" After that was said, I made an extremely quick dash for him and he shot an arrow as soon as I moved, but my quick reflexes and my Hien made the arrow go right past me without piercing me and I landed a bloody stab towards his chest with all three of my knives, rendering him into extreme pain, but he didn't weaken and I saw that before he tried to make a counterattack towards my chest with his sharp-as-titanium bow, but Miracle's tail was just as fast as me and he transformed and extended it into a three foot long Lance, blocking the attack completely, shocking me and Don-chan. "…Miracle?"

"Wot?! How the… AAAAH!" That last scream came out right when the little guy made a sickening slash through Raivonjai's wrist and blood was just spewing everywhere while he held it with total shock. He… obviously didn't feel any pain after the cut, even though he did feel some beforehand. Don shook the shock outta him before he grabbed the bow and used his strong teeth to break it completely in half, especially since he knows I don't deal with arrows very well when it comes to using them. Seeing that really pissed him off more than decapitation of his hand. "…It's no wonda Miracle's a hard bastard to kill! You both make me sick!" Humph! Like I gave a damn.

"Awww… too bad." I replied as Miracle's tail went back to normal again and just kept his growling low key, like a menacing purr. Don was doing the same. "Now, we can make this easy." I pulled out two knives this time and had them ready with no fear in my eyes. "Stand still, I can make your death quick and painless." I slowly stood up straight and casually walked towards him before I aimed both blades right at his Adam's apple with careful precision. Raivonjai's hand just started to heal, but he never made a move on me. He just… stood there and gave me an evil glare in his purple eyes. I looked right at it, but I couldn't quite decipher what he was thinking. It was like I was blocked from reading it. Regardless of that, I still prepared for his execution. Twenty seconds later, Miracle squealed right in my ear and I turned towards what he was looking at, which was…

"VELOCITY!" I screamed with horror as I saw that he was just knocked unconscious by Kloninjai's fierce kick to his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. That wasn't all I saw. Symphony was also knocked out, but by their Basenji, VJ. She was covered in some blood, but I'm trying not to think of her as dead… at least, not yet. "You bastard!" I released my knives and they amazingly stayed where they were long enough for Don to jump in, take over, and finish off the older twin in one stab before I made a jump for their dog first and I pulled out another knife in a quick second before slashing open his neck, rendering him dead instantly. I was covered in the dog's blood in addition to some of Raivonjai's blood as well, but that never bothered me as I aimed that same kunai at Kloninjai with fury. "Consider that a warning, you son of a bitch!"

"Oooooh, I better not twitch, then." The lavender-eyed twin taunted at me before he started to aim another arrow at me, but Miracle never backed down as he had his shield ready. Despite seeing this, he still shot at the shield, completely missing me. I gave him a look that said 'Are you stupid?' all over it and he read it before he lowered his weapon. "Don't think I'm dumb enough to see that ya block me shot. Look behind ya."

"Oh, please." I really had it up to here and prepared my knife for the final throw. "Like I'm gonna fall for that sh…"

_**SHWIP!**_

"IBUKI!" Don screamed after I felt… _it_. Raivonjai recovered quickly and shot me in my back with an arrow, all while Miracle was busy with his brother! The shot was extremely painful, but it stabbed me so hard… I… I couldn't breathe. Miracle squealed with horror before his tail turned back to normal right when I fell face first towards the carpet floor, struggling to reach for the arrow stuck inside my back. He tried to help me out by getting up on my back and tried to pull the arrow out of me, but every tug made me lose more and more of my life and my harsh gasping proved it, immediately telling him to stop. Don tried to run up to me, but he was grabbed by Raivonjai before he could make it to me. Miracle came right up to my face and gave me a sad look in his eyes, telling me that he will never let me die. I found the strength to smile, but I was still struggling to take in a breath. He got closer and gave me a sweet lick on my left cheek before he squealed out three words I never thought he would finally gain the knowledge to say:

"Miracle… loves… Ibuki."

That brought me to tears instantly, but I couldn't find the strength to hug him or tell him I loved him, too. My vision was getting blurry and everything before I saw that Kloninjai has just picked up Miracle and kneeled down towards me with a smirk on his face.

"Awww, such a sweet tenda moment wasted." He teased. "It's too bad you won't be around when we finally kill this little bastard you call ya brotha! I hope you burn in Hell, ya fuckin' ninja bitch!" Not a second after that was said, I felt the arrow get pierced deeper into my back and that's when I just laid there and was slowly losing my consciousness. I could still hear Don's desperate calls for my revival…

"IBUKI! IBUKI, DON'T YOU LAY THERE AND DIE! IBUKI! IBUKI! IIIIIIIIBUUUUUUUKIIIIIII!"

…but it didn't seem to work. Everything went dark by the time that last screamed faded in the distance, leaving me, Velocity, and Symphony alone.

This was it.

I'm… I'm gonna die…

…I… I'm sorry, Miracle. I've failed to protect you.

I deserve to die…

…I really do.

To be continued…

(Believe it or not, I slightly started to tear up when I wrote this. Just wanted to point that out.)


	13. Chapter 13: Rage of the Xaighazi Twins 2

Chapter 13: The Rage of the Xaighazi Twins – Part 2

(Quick Note: Don's POV will be just like Ibuki's, but Miracle's will be **bold.** Keep that in mind throughout this chapter, a'ight? Get it? Got it? Good. Enjoy!)

(Don's POV)

This is unbelievable! Right when we had them, Raivonjai's bow somehow had healing powers as well and he was able to shoot a clean shot into Ibuki's back! Knowing those arrows, she won't have a chance. It's lodged deep in her back now and… and… she's… she's…

…she's dead. Ibuki's dead! I tried to call out to her…

"IBUKI! IBUKI, DON'T YOU LAY THERE AND DIE! IBUKI! IBUKI! IIIIIIIIBUUUUUUUKIIIIIII!"

…but it didn't work. Now that the Xaighazi Twins have both me and Miracle, there had to be some way for us to escape and bring my big sister back to life so we can finish off those bastards! I'm also hoping that Velocity and Symphony aren't dead neither.

Just a few minutes after Ibuki's demise, Miracle and I were held captive in a pretty tough cage that was not too small, but a little roomy as they started working on something to execute both of us:

"We're gonna build us a Tanuki Guillotine and kill ya both in one wee little swipe." Kloninjai threatened to us with his back turned. Miracle snarled at the twins, but they weren't scared of him at all.

"Heh, heh! Ya growlin' won't get ya nowhere." Raivonjai taunted before he turned towards us and Miracle was still snarling. "Oh, shut it, ya bastard!" After that was said, he pulled out a shock stick and tapped Miracle right on his chest, making him squeak at his loudest with extreme pain before he fell to the cage floor on his stomach and his legs spread apart, feeling slightly weakened. I couldn't take it anymore!

"HEY!" I screamed out before I made a few threatening hisses and snarls of my own for a good five seconds. "Leave him alone!"

"And who's gonna make me? Ya deceased sister?! HA! Wit her ninja ass dead, we can make Mark proud here. So, say wot you want, lad. It won't work."

"Grrrrrrr!" That's all I could do before I got quiet and the twins resumed their construction on the guillotine. After ten seconds of silence, Miracle finally regained consciousness and shook out the shock before he just sat there and started to cry quietly. I saw a good pair of waterfall tears stream down his face and his mechanical tail was laid down flat on the ground. I felt his pain as I approached him and tried to comfort him by nuzzling my head against his, but I ended up getting a slight snort from him, telling me to leave him alone to grieve and laid back down on his stomach afterwards. Still feeling his sorrow, I reluctantly obeyed and moved a little to the right, away from him, before I laid down on my stomach as well. I still had high hopes for an escape plan, but mourning Ibuki's death comes first. I don't know what Miracle was thinking, but I'm sure he's conjuring up a plan of his own.

**I… I couldn't believe it. It all happened so fast for Ibuki and me. We both fought very hard together and, like she said, my name is Miracle for many more reasons than most of these friendly people think. Now that she's dead, I feel like half of my heart is sliced off. My tail is keeping me alive and hopeful all at the same time. **

**As Don and I were watching those mean twins build that scary machine, I was having deep thoughts about how we can still kill those two without Ibuki… but then again, there is a way to bring her back. The only problem is… once we escape, we won't even have a full minute to make it happen. Their senses are too powerful. With that in mind, I closed my eyes and tried to remember how many useful things Shaundo installed into my tail. Many of those things flashed in my mind:**

**The various weapons**

**The poison darts**

**The saws that have helped Ibuki out in tight situations**

**Various formulas… wait… **

…**THAT'S IT! Early in the development of my tail installation shortly after it was bitten off by that stupid Rottweiler, Stone, Shaundo also installed a few spray and needle vials that could help out in so many ways… and he created those formulas as well! All was not lost for us after all! I perked up silently and Don followed me, looking a little confused. Just so you know, I spoke perfect English to him, despite all the squealing you've been hearing for Ibuki as well as everyone else. **

"What's up, Miracle?" **Don asked me with curiosity. **"Did you think of a way outta here?"

"Kinda." **I replied in an adorable squealing baby voice. **"Miracle figured out a way to escape without those dumb twins knowing and bring Ibuki back to life."

"What?! You're kidding! That's amazing!" **Don kept those exclamations low enough for the twins not to hear. **"So, what's the plan?"

**I never said a word as I executed the plan slowly and quietly. I placed my tail in silent mode before I transformed it into a circular laser cutter, easily slicing through the metal bars, before I used my teeth to carefully remove those same bars and place them down on the soft floor. The twins' sixth sense must've been cut off because they never turned around to see us. It was a really good thing as we continued our escape, having Don lift the set of six bars in a perfect circular cut with his front paws and placing them back where they were before I reversed the process with my laser glue system and it looked as though we never broke through at all. Don was impressed by it, but we had no time to talk about it. Ibuki's life needs to be back, so we can finish off these scary twins! **

(Don's POV)

Shortly after we finally escaped, I led the way back upstairs and made it through VJ's doggy door to see that Velocity has just regained consciousness. I knew he was knocked out to begin with and same went for Symphony as she slowly started to wake up as well. Velocity gasped with wide eyes as he saw that Ibuki died from the arrow in her back. There was a good pool of her blood under her at this point and time was running short for us. Velocity still managed to slightly smile when he saw us and we approached Ibuki's dead corpse from the opposite side as he spoke.

"Is she dead?" He asked me. I forced myself to nod in response, since I really didn't want to. "Mm! She had a good run. I knew these twins would be overwhelming, despite our training. What can we do now?"

"Our hopes aren't up yet." I replied with confidence as I yanked that fucking arrow outta her back, making just a little bit of blood spew outta her before it calmed down. "Miracle's figured out a way to really stay true to his name."

"He has?!" Miracle replied to that question by a few squeals and I translated it perfectly. Even Symphony made it out this time as she barked once in question. "What did he say?"

"He said that he just remembered that Shaundo has installed emergency vials, in case some situations got a little too bleak for us."

"Will this bring Ibuki back to life long enough for us to execute those bastards?" Miracle squealed once and nodded in response. He translated that for me. Thank ya much, buddy! "Ah! Excellent! Well, let's leave it to Doctor Miracle."

**Tee, hee. It felt good hearing Velocity call me 'Doctor Miracle'. I really was about to play doctor for a little while and I'm already praying that this will work. Don, Symphony, and Velocity gave me a little space as I made my way on top of Ibuki's back and turned my tail into a needle first before I filled it up with a clear purple formula. Shaundo called this purple stuff 'Angel Tears'. I would share the scientific name, but it's too long and hard for me to understand. Since I haven't used it before until now, I'm hoping that these 'Angel Tears' will work. Shortly after I filled the needle vial, I carefully stuck it into the very same wound the DragonKlaw arrow did and ejected the entire formula until it was empty. As soon as I was done, my tail turned back to normal and told Don to come up here. He obeyed and wondered why. **

"I need Don-Chan to spit into the wound to commence final phase of Angel Tears." **I replied to him, which made him slightly jump with surprise. **"I know it sounds gross, but it's the only way to bring Prett-Ibuki back to life." **By the way, I just made up that nickname. Sounds cute to me! Even Don smiled at the nickname as he spoke.**

"I was about to say no, but uh… since this is to bring our big sister back to life and since you gave her that super cute nickname, I'll do it." **He replied after thinking about it for a good ten seconds. **"How much energy will Ibuki get once she takes in that first breath of life since those fuckers killed her?"

"That's the only bad thing about this formula." **And my frown proved it as I continued. **"She'll be back to life, but only with enough energy to stand on her feet for either only fifteen minutes or after a fierce final attack towards the twins. The upside about the final attack is that it'll be fifty times stronger."

"WHOA! Well, let me hurry it up and spit in her back!" **And he sure didn't waste any time after that was said. I turned my tail into my famous propeller before I floated up until I was floating next to Velocity on his left side and gave Don more room before he made one huge spit into Ibuki's wound. Three seconds after that, Don stepped off and we all waited patiently for the results, having Symphony sit like the good doggy she was. Twenty-seven seconds later…**

(GASP) …what the…? I… I'm alive? I made that same harsh gasp verbally and that made Velocity, Miracle, Don, and Symphony smile with all the glee in the world. I started to notice that my wound completely disappeared as I gathered the energy to sit up and Velocity caught me from under my arms to make me sit up straight before Miracle gave me an embrace with squeals of happiness as well as joyful tears staining my tank top. I gotta tell ya… Miracle really does live up to his name. I didn't lie to myself after all… even after I failed to protect him.

"It's good to have you back, Ibuki." Velocity started with all the glory in his handsome voice. "We really thought all hope was lost for us."

"I… kinda did, too." I admitted weakly, still trying to get my legs and arms back up and running. My arms were okay, but my legs were still feeling like they could fall off at any moment. "Heaven sure was beautiful, though."

"I bet it was, sis." Don agreed as he carefully got up on my lap, seeing that I was struggling with my legs. "Did ya see anybody up there?"

"Believe it or not, I saw Shaundo's wife, RaiKhana. She looked beautiful and ironically, looked like Malakhai… sorta." It was an awesome experience. It'll be something worth sharing with Shaundo and Malakhai later. "I told her how much Shaundo and Malakhai missed her and she even told me that it wasn't my time to die. She must've been watching you all."

"Our prayers have been answered, then." Velocity added as he laid me up against the wall this time. My legs were feeling pretty numb at this point. "How are your legs? Miracle did warn us that you wouldn't have the energy to stand for more than fifteen minutes or until you unleash a devastating final attack on the twins." Huh! Both reasons sound about right. Unleashing my Yoroitoshi is gonna be a challenge.

"No kidding." I muttered as Don just got off my legs as I tried to move them, but they just… ugh… they felt so strange. My feet weren't numb, but my legs were. I didn't even feel Don's fur! "I really don't know how this will work out."

"Ya gotta figure somethin' out, sis!" Don protested. "The twins are building a guillotine that's big enough to execute both Miracle and I. We managed to escape, but I'm sure they'll find out soon enough and punish us as soon as they're finished." Shit! I'm pretty much hosed at this point! Miracle saw that pissed off look on my face and he gave me a pretty serious game face, nearly intimidating me… that is, until he tried his human speech skills again as he squealed out:

"Miracle… believe in… Prett-Ibuki."

…huh? Did he… did he just call me… 'Prett-Ibuki'? Where did that nickname come from? I like it, but what the what? Velocity chuckled at that puzzled look on my face as he spoke.

"Hearing that nickname alone signifies that he really loves you as if you were a piece of his own heart." He quoted happily in his usual expert tone. I couldn't help but smile in agreement before I slowly embraced the little Miracle and whispered in his right rounded ear:

"Prett-Ibuki believes in Miracle, too."

"So, I guess we'll have to execute this plan carefully. With only fifteen minutes to spare, we're slowly running out of time, but we're not too late. Don, are you good at being a… distraction?"

"Are you kiddin'?" Don replied with confidence, like I knew he could. Miracle and I were still embracing each other while this was happening. I really couldn't release my baby brother right now, not while I still had plenty of energy. No matter what happens, Miracle's heart and mine will be sewn together as one. "Ibuki's always allowed me to be the distraction in almost every mission we've done together at the Glade back in Japan… and damn, I make diversions look easy!" HA! He got that right! Tee-hee-hee!

"Excellent, but can you do it AND destroy the guillotine?"

"It'll be like throwing away a perfectly baked cake."

"Good. Ibuki?"

"Yeah?" I finally released Miracle from our warm hug and he used his propeller to stay off my legs as Velocity continued.

"I'll have Symphony keep you company while we scout the area the twins are in, so that way, we'll have a clean sweep of the perfect trap." Sounded good to me, but they know the deal…

"Well, you better hurry. I've got ten minutes left."

"Affirmative!" Not even a millisecond after that was said, Velocity, Miracle, and Don made their way back to the basement to look for a possible wide open chance for the perfect ambush while Symphony the Golden Saluki kept me company, like he said. All she did was sit a little closer to me on my right side and leaned her head against that same shoulder, giving me comfort immediately. I managed to gather the energy to wrap that same arm around her soft body and there was silence from then on.

(Don's POV)

Still couldn't believe that I had to spit into Ibuki's back after Miracle's Angel Tear formula was put in, but hey! It worked! Ibuki is back in the game, but for a little while. We had to act fast if we needed her for the final blow towards these goddamn twins. I led the way back to the basement, I peeked in the doggy door, and saw that the twins were just finishing up on building the wooden base and was ready to apply the titanium blades. They were almost ready, but they still have no idea that Miracle and I have escaped yet.

"They're just applying the final touches to the guillotine." I told Velocity, who nodded in understanding. Miracle sat like a good American Tanuki and listened in. "We gotta stop 'em before they place on the blades."

"And the best way to do that is to find a way to distract them in a way that will make them completely stop their work momentarily." Velocity added. That was gonna be a tall order. There was one way I thought of, which was to simply let them figure out that Miracle and I escaped. I looked over at Miracle and he was looking completely blank in his deep blue eyes. I had no idea what he was doing, but I did hear some really soft and quick beeping from him. Velocity did as well and he figured it out quickly. "Hmm… Miracle appears to be scanning the area for a weakness large enough for our trap." Whoah! Now, see… I never knew Miracle could do that. "What have you pointed out, Miracle?" He never made a squeal for the next thirty seconds until he made a small one that was audible enough for us to hear, but not the twins. After that was finalized, he quickly and quietly turned his tail into some kind of gun, but it looked like it wasn't gonna shoot out any bullets. He squealed towards me now and I jumped with surprise. Miracle just told me that this was something called…

…The Redemption Cannon.

"Wow! Cool name." I exclaimed in a whisper. Velocity got all curious. "He just told me that this is the Redemption Cannon."

"Huh?" Velocity asked. "What exactly does it do?"

"We're about to find out." Immediately after I said that, Miracle shot out a black cloud and it literally started to rain up in the room alone, making the twins panic. Heh, heh… it was too funny.

"Wot the hell…?!" Raivonjai asked with total surprise as the rain was pouring down on them. I was still a little confused about what this gun really does, but so far, it was pretty damn convincing! "How is it rainin' in here?!"

"Have no idea, bro." Kloninjai replied with just as much bewilderment. "But, it's ruining and rusting up out guillotine!"

"No, no, NO! Somethin's up!" And that's when he finally checked the cage and saw that Miracle and I had escaped. Miracle snarled with satisfaction with a smooth smirk on his face… and that very same smirk translated into telling me to get Ibuki. I nodded in response before I ran off to get my big sister. While I was dashing for the door, Miracle turned his tail back to normal and just sat there like a good American Tanuki while Velocity had his knives ready and managed to sneak into the wet room and hide in a closet while the twins were distracted by the empty cage and the rain, still having their sixth sense completely cut off.

(Ibuki's POV)

My legs were getting weaker and weaker by the second, even though there was only seven minutes left. I still had a chance to make Miracle proud, despite the fact that I failed him once before. By the look on his face when I woke up, it looked like he really did forgive me and that alone made me feel good about myself. Not a second too soon after I took in that thought, Don came back and Symphony made it her chance to make a run for Velocity and Miracle. He had a determined smile on his face and that kinda made me copy him as he spoke.

"We got the trap all laid out, Ibuki. Miracle just made it rain in their workshop basement and even rusted up the guillotine!" Don said with excitement. I was a bit confused though.

"What the…? How did he do that?" I asked him.

"He used something called The Redemption Cannon. So far, it's doing really well. Having it rain is just the beginning. All we're gonna do now and lay out the final attack on those bastard twins."

"Can we do it in seven minutes? My legs are really coming loose."

"I know, I know, but don't worry. We'll get them executed in five, if we act fast. Try to stand up." And I… was… struggling… as I was trying to get up. I had to hang on to the wall the entire time and my thighs instantly started to feel numb and felt like they weighed a ton! I leaned back against the wall in agony, but Don's constant nudging on the back of my ankles gave me the motivation I needed to stay on my wobbly legs. After taking three small steps, I nearly collapsed on a nearby wooden table and held myself up by my hands. Don got up on that same table and stood up on his hind feet with hope written all over his face. "C'mon, Ibuki. Hang in there. You can make it. The final blow is planned out."

"What's the plan then?" I was ready to kick these twins' asses, even though my legs were trying to tell me to sit my ass down. I fought against them as Don continued as fast as he could.

"Velocity's already in position hiding in the closet. What's gonna happen is that right when the twins go for their weapons in that closet, he's gonna use his Yoroitoshi and blast them towards Miracle first, who will have his Tail Saw ready to fuck up one of their chests and cut out the heart completely. And the other twin will still be heading in your direction and you can give him a final blow he'll never forget! Sounds good, right?"

"Hell, yeah! That sounds really awesome!" It really did! Mark will definitely have something to answer to once we wrap this shit up, baby! YES!

"The only downside about this, though, is that once you do deliver that final attack, your legs are really gonna be down and out temporarily."

"I'm willing to take that risk, Don. I failed Miracle once. I am NOT gonna fail him again! Let's do this shit!" My legs still felt weak, but I was standing up straight as if they weren't. I fought through the pain as Don and I ran back down to the basement to begin the final phase in our assault against the Xaighazi Twins.

Just a few seconds after we got back to their hiding place, I noticed that Velocity was indeed missing and he was hiding. I spotted the very same closet I suspected him to be in and I smiled with all the valor in my heart. Don immediately took his position towards the far right side of the basement with Symphony carefully hiding on the left, leaving Miracle and I to observe the situation. He was sitting with such elegance, even with his mechanical tail swaying on its own. I heard his low purring and I can tell he was just as determined as we were. He never noticed me, though. I decided to tell him I was here just by simply kneeling down towards him, even with the numbness in my legs. He turned around towards me fast, but never made a sound. He just climbed up to my chest and snuggled his soft head against my cleavage with all the love in the world! He was just overjoyed to see me up on my feet. This scene lasted for the next thirty seconds before we got our game faces back on while I stood up straight, fighting the pain in my legs again, and Miracle remained on my left shoulder as I made my way to my position… which was right behind the empty cage. The twins noticed me and was looking so pissed off right now. Like… I… care.

"WOT?!" They both asked together with shock before Kloninjai finished off by asking: "Ibuki?! Yor alive?!"

"Hell, yeah. I'm alive." I taunted with no fear in my eyes. Even Miracle continued to softly snarl, but never moved from my shoulder… yet. "You saw this coming, ya know."

"But, ya can't be alive." Raivonjai protested as he and his brother started to back away in fear, but I started walking closer to them, like I was a blood-thirsty zombie. "I killed ya wit me bare arrow!"

"Well, maybe you two should've studied up on Miracle's anatomy a little more instead of killing his friends all the time." Damn! Saying that last statement felt good to my chest. After that was said, Kloninjai was frozen stiff and couldn't make out any more words of protest. This was Miracle's chance to shine like the sun once more and he made a perfect leap towards the frightened twin's chest before he squealed his loudest and transformed his tail into a decent sized buzz saw before he started cutting up his chest, neck, abdomen, and arms with all the fury in his deep blue eyes. It was extremely insane and many gallons of blood was spraying all over the place, staining me even! But, eh… a little blood never harmed a ninja, ya know. While that was happening, Raivonjai started to retreat towards the closet for his arrows, but before he opened it, he dared himself to look back at the action. I really fought against the oncoming lifelessness in my legs and showed the most horrifying smile towards him while I stepped over the triple massacre of Don, Symphony, and Miracle just giving Kloninjai the bloodiest trip to Hell, having Don and Symphony eat him alive while Miracle was still slicing and dicing with his Tail Buzz saw right on his chest and neck. I continued to walk towards Raivonjai, ready to give him the smack down in a few seconds.

I really wasn't joking at this point and with just three minutes left, I felt my legs giving in and I forced myself to lean against a table on the way, but I was still standing. Raivonjai still went for the closet, but when he opened it…

"Surprise." Velocity greeted smoothly before he grabbed the terrified twin and performed the very same Yoroitoshi I used during the Super Street Fighter IV tournament, having the final blast from his left elbow blow him towards me and right when he was a millimeter away, I performed my Hashinsho and really gave it everything I got, screaming the whole way through. By the time I laid down the final blow, slamming him to the concrete floor, I felt and heard his face crack against it and a decent pool of blood slowly started oozing out of his flattened face… but, ya know what…

…I had to make sure he was completely dead. With just one more minute left, I made a graceful leap into the air right above Raivonjai and unleashed about ten knives a second in mid-air during my famous Kasumi Suzaku. This gathered the attention of the animals after they finally killed Kloninjai, having Miracle being the most concerned about me as he started to slightly fly off the floor with his adorable propeller. After the whole fifty-five second attack, I was frozen in mid-air for the last five of those important sixty seconds and I… I… I started to lose consciousness again.

Totally, totally, TOTALLY… worth it.

**Whoa! Ibuki really gave it her all for the last two minutes! After that last attack of all those knives instantly killing the last twin, I reacted quickly by flying up towards her unconscious body before I caught her with my strong paws by the back of her tank top before I gently settled her limp, but beautiful body in Velocity's arms. I honestly thought she looked pretty when she's like this, but she's even prettier when she's awake. **

"Well… Ibuki, you performed a job well done." **Velocity started as he held her firmly in his arms to make sure she never slipped out. I was still flying as me, Don, and Symphony all approached the two with smiles on all of our faces. **"We finally did it, everyone. Thanks to Ibuki, we have finally defeated the Xaighazi Twins. Mark is the final Tanuki Kicker to face and, knowing him, he's not easy to come by. Miracle, you go and inform Shaundo and Malakhai of this wonderful news and tell them to meet us at the Atlanta Hospital. That's where Ibuki will be treated. Don and Symphony, you two will come with me. We will have much to discuss once Ibuki regains gets her hard-earned energy back." **Malakhai and Shaundo will be so proud of her once they hear about it.**

**I already am and I always will be, no matter what happens to her. She's the best big sister ever!**

(Don's POV)

Holy shit! Did… did that really just happen? As we were on our way to the hospital, Symphony was sitting in the passenger seat while Velocity was driving and I was in the back seat, cuddled up against Ibuki's boobs, like they were a pair of pillows. I really had to a mental double-take after all that. For someone who had just a few minutes left to make it hot, she sure did do it justice and with practically little effort! She was really fed up with those bastard twins and proved it very well at that point. With the twins gone, Mark was now by his lonesome self. He's literally got nowhere to run and nobody to turn to. The only teammate he has left… is his trusty Rottweiler, Stone. I have no goddamn doubt in my mind that he knows about the death of his team, minus Velocity, of course… and with that in mind…

…we're gonna be ready for him…

…well, Miracle and Ibuki will be ready for him. I'm gonna let them handle him…

…alone.

To be continued…


	14. Chapter 14: The Darkest Discussion

Chapter 14: The Darkest Discussion

(Just to let ya'll know, it's gonna be back in Ibuki's POV now. Doing Don and Miracle's was really fun, though. Sorry for the HUGE delay and I hope reading this will be worth the wait. Enjoy.)

Ho… ly… shit! What a battle that was against the Xaighazi Twins. I just regained consciousness and started thinking about it as I was lying in a hospital bed. Even when my legs were telling me to sit down, I never listened and goddamn! I'm so glad I did! It was a battle I'll never, ever forget and I'm sure Miracle won't forget it either. Speaking of him, he was nowhere to be seen and I instantly got worried as a nurse was just walking by my feet. I decided to ask her about it.

"Excuse me, nurse." I started weakly, but sweetly. That sounded weird, didn't it? Ha! I'm so crazy! Anyway, the American nurse looked over at me with her professional-looking brown eyes with curiosity as I continued. "Do you know where Shaundo and the others are?"

"They're on their way here right now." She replied in an angelic voice of the typical nurse. "Velocity was here earlier with Don, but they decided to wait in the main lobby until Shaundo and Malakhai got here. They will have Miracle with them." Oh, good. I smiled as my response to that statement and she went back to her business checking up on me. As far as my legs went, they were still feeling a little funny. I can feel the fabric of the covers at the very top of my thighs and that's it. They were slowly, but surely coming back to life and I was relieved.

As I leaned back and waited patiently for my new family, best friend, and boyfriend, I started thinking about how amazingly well those past eighteen battles have been. Yes, I'm counting the fight against the Xaighazi Twins as one battle, even though it was with the last two people before I face Mark. Miracle has saved me so many times and he does it again, saving me from Death. He feared for my life when I was shot with that fateful arrow and hearing him say that he loved me before I died was a sign that he never, ever wanted me to leave. We truly have a connection that not even Don and I could have, even though we call each other siblings. Miracle is like a precious baby brother who needs to be treated with all the love and care in the world and that mechanical tail of his… it really does live up to his name. I've said it many times before, I know, but it's the truth. Remember how I told Velocity that his name is Miracle for many more reasons than most people might think? Well, at this rate, it's a really big deal that Miracle is officially _my _little miracle. I… I wanna stick by him forever. Hell, I'll take him back to Japan with me when all this shit blows over. I'm sure that Don could use some company with someone famous rather than his usual crowd.

Ten minutes of thinking later, Shaundo, Malakhai, with Miracle on his left shoulder, Don, Velocity, and even his dog, Symphony, all finally came back by the time I just finished eating a pretty good and healthy turkey sandwich and was sipping on some ice cold water. Miracle was the first to approach me, as usual, and gently landed on my still tender legs. They were halfway healed now and he just sat there with a smile that told me he was happy to see me back to my old self. He didn't need to make a squeal this time. I simply read it in those adorable cobalt blue eyes. Malakhai came up to me next on my left side and gave me an affectionate kiss on my forehead as his greeting. I thought he'd be pretty pissed off at me because I have no blood stains on me, but instead…

"Just seeing that you're alive again is enough to satisfy me in this case." He quoted to me professionally and passionately all at once. He took it in like a champ and hearing that phrase alone made me smile right back at him as he took a seat on the same side next to me, gently petting Miracle between his rounded ears along the way. "It's good to have you back, baby. How do your legs feel?"

"They're feeling better, but I still can't feel anything on the lower half of my thighs." I replied in a tender tone of my cute voice. "It's good to see all of you and Velocity, thanks for your support. We would've never made it through without ya."

"The pleasure's all mine." Velocity replied as he took his seat in a chair next to Shaundo, who shifted his arms to look normal sized again by the time he took his seat as well. "I must say that your farewell performance was indeed a powerful one. I congratulate you on your final attack, even though you didn't have the energy to stand afterwards."

"It was all for the sake of Miracle. He brought me back to life and I put it to good use. You really are a God-sent angel, Miracle and I love you so much, little buddy." I gave him a pat on the back with all the appreciation I could hold and he just purred as his response with a smile that was just too adorable to look away from. "But, I gotta be honest." Here it goes. "At the very moment that arrow pierced through me, I… I thought you would be disappointed in me for failing to protect you." Miracle made a few squeals of disagreement and I smiled with all the faith in my heart. He said that he wouldn't be disappointed in me, even if he tried. That comes to show ya that, no matter what happens, Miracle will always stick by my side… always… and he cuddles between my boobs to show how much he really loves me, sending the rest of the family and my boyfriend to watch in awe. Don stood on his hind legs on Malakhai's lap as he spoke. The tone of his voice… sounded… odd.

"Speaking of protection…" He started in a cold version of his usual high-spirited voice. "…I think you and Miracle should face Mark alone." WHAT?! I know he did NOT just say that! Don's never been on a mission without me! That's the only reason why I brought him with me… well… other than gain attention from his American cousins. This also led Velocity, Malakhai, and Shaundo in complete shock. Symphony… she growled. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's for the best, Ibuki. I vowed that proposition to myself while you were unconscious."

"Why?!" I asked him with authority, making me sit up completely with Miracle on my right shoulder with just as much concern. "Why would you back out on the final mission before we can go back home?!"

"You two seem so close and, like I said, I'm not jealous about it. Besides, this'll be mostly Miracle's battle than yours."

"…" I was about to protest against that statement, but I gave it a deep thought for literally ten seconds and gave him the nod of understanding with a serious face that probably made Malakhai mentally swoon.

"You deserve it. I've fought hard alongside you guys, but now's your time to shine. Remember what you said to him, Ibuki? Now's not the time to quit, especially with Mark well within your reach right now. I believe in both of you." I took in every word and showed a smile of appreciation before he made a graceful leap towards me and gave me a warm-hearted embrace that actually sent me to tears as I held him against my face. He was right about everything. Miracle and I have made it this far, with or without Don-Chan, and now, it's just gonna be me and my little Miracle. We started strong… and we're gonna stay strong for this final battle for the American Tanuki's freedom.

* * *

><p>Finally, a day later, my legs are back in their tip-top shape again and I was released from the hospital, dressed in my tank top and jeans outfit in my regular colors, of course. When I made it to the lobby, I saw Malakhai, Shaundo, Miracle, and Sheriff Winderleer, who had my little buddy on his left shoulder. Don… was nowhere to be found. I was about to ask where he was, but before I even opened my mouth…<p>

"Don's staying at the Sanctuary. Since he declared that you and Miracle should do this alone, he's already showing that he really means it with all due respect." Malakhai told me in his usually professional way.

"Ah, that makes sense." I said with smile. "Sheriff, what are you doing here?"

"The police force couldn't be any more proud of what you and Miracle have accomplished since your arrival." Winderleer started with all the courage in the world. "Now, we have received word from Mark himself. He's actually been watching your exploits on TV this whole time and now, he's ready to make a fair arbitration with you." What? That… didn't sound right somehow. I even showed a puzzle look on my face to prove it. Winderleer made a light chuckle at it as he allowed Miracle to fly over to me with his famous propeller and land right between my boobs for the usual security. He was already prepared for the confrontation with this dangerous criminal. "I knew this would confuse you, but he's been playing fair here. He already knows you're a very professional ninja and since he's got some ninja in him as well, he wants to make this battle as even as possible."

"Sounds convincing enough to me, sir." I showed a serious game face as this conversation continued as we all started making our way outside the hospital entrance, having Malakhai walking on my right with him left hand firmly holding on to mine on the way. So far, Mark really was being fair alright. I'm still trying to take in the fact that he's been watching us the whole time. That left me wondering: "What does he look like?"

"Well, you've already heard his height, right?" I nodded in response. I remember being pissed and nervous all at once when I heard that he was a whopping seven feet and two inches. "Well, in addition to that, he has the skin tone of your typical Caucasian man, long blonde hair styled in cornrowed braids, seven strands of them, a muscle capacity that could put your beloved Malakhai in a tie with him, pale blue eyes, and sports a massive black flame tattoo that takes up his whole arm, right pectoral, and the same side on his upper back, starting at the wrist." Whoa! Overall, he could be dubbed 'The Biggest Ninja in the World' where I come from. Sheesh! It's no wonder Shaundo and Miracle had such a tough time with him. He's so massive, it ain't funny. "Does he intimidate you?"

"Not in the least. If I can handle Zangief, I can handle this bastard." Humph! I didn't stutter either!

"Good. I'm glad you feel that way. He's currently waiting patiently for you to speak with him. He's given me his cell phone number." The Caucasian sheriff handed me a folded-up sheet of paper and I didn't even bother to look inside it as I placed it away in my right back pocket, having Malakhai give it a good couple of pats afterwards. Whoo! Damn! That… actually felt good. I'll bet he's been waiting patiently for that chance. Tee, hee. Such a naughty boy! "Just be thankful that he's giving you some time to think this over. He thinks that a battle without that wide open opportunity would leave the entire fight to become completely useless."

"Huh! Well, I'll have to agree." Wow! I couldn't believe it! Mark meant business, but he's making it an even match here. This was something worth talking to Shaundo about, especially since he's encountered him and met his fate alongside Miracle against him. I looked over at him to see when he thought of it. His face… cold… as… ice. Damn!

After the silent five minute ride back to the Sanctuary, Shaundo, Miracle, Malakhai, Velocity, and I made it to the front door, having Shaundo leading the way, of course. When he opened the door, it was still silent as we all walked inside. Shaundo still held that cold glare in his brown eyes as he made his way to the kitchen, sat down at the table, and just… got into deep thought mode. I saw the whole thing with a look of worry on my face and Miracle showed a solemn frown as well before he leapt out of my tank top and used his propeller to make his way towards his owner, probably to add some comfort towards him. Velocity and Malakhai saw this from behind me for the next sixty seconds before the former Tanuki Kicker decided to tend to his beautiful Saluki, Symphony, who was in a separate room away from the Tanuki Americans. When he was gone, Malakhai slowly wrapped his huge, muscular arms around me, as if to keep me warm, and physically, it worked like a charm, but emotionally… not so much. He even gave me a sweet kiss on my neck as a sign of affection. That made me smile just a tiny bit as he spoke.

"It usually gets serious when my Father is like this." He admitted with no guilt in his deep, sexy voice right in my left ear. "Since Mark is his biggest enemy, he's silently praying for your success as we speak. He did vow one thing during his hospital stay after the incident with the madman…" I turned towards him in a side-glance after he said that last word and I was paying very close attention as he finished off by saying: "…he shall never speak of deadly criminal once he's in the sight of Death." …wow. Strong promise.

"I understand." I reassured him in a serious tone of my adorable voice. "But, he sounds so confident that Mark will be defeated."

"Well, he is the most dangerous out of all of the previous criminals you've killed, but my Father does believe that only you and Miracle can end his reign of terror once and for all. We all have faith in you, my precious ninja warrior. The real question is… do YOU have faith in yourself that you can kill this man and stain yourself in his blood on the way out the door?" Hell yeah, baby! You can bet this entire Sanctuary on it!

"That's a question that doesn't need an explanation to the answer, which is yes." I said that with authority as I held Malakhai's arms closer to me, which made him lean his head down on top of my left shoulder. "As soon as Miracle and I meet this dangerous man for the first time, we'll be ready for anything he might pull… ANYTHING."

I made it safe and decided to let my legs rest for another two days and, during that time, Miracle has stuck by my side the whole… entire… time. I mean, he literally followed me everywhere I went, even in the shower where he would perch on the faucet like a good American Tanuki. Yeah, you heard me. Miracle watches me take my showers and doesn't show any sign of passion on his beautiful cobalt blue eyes. He just watches me like I'm on TV or something. He truly respects my naked body, even after what we shared with Malakhai before. As for Shaundo, Malakhai really wasn't lying about his Father's promise to never, ever speak until Mark was destroyed. He doesn't even open up for some small talk, either. I mean, as big and strong as Mark is, I totally understand why he'll never speak. He nearly died that day and now, I have a terrible feeling that he feels like he should've died that day. I spliced through his mind during the second silent dinner with him, Miracle, Don, Velocity, and Malakhai and I mentally gasped while keeping myself composed on the outside. Shaundo did indeed think that it would've been better if he just allowed Miracle to live, but not himself. I would tell him that he shouldn't think like that, but since he won't talk back to me, I'll just give him my adorable facial expression of that same phrase. The old geezer looked up from his plate and right at my solemn expression. He read it perfectly and nodded once in understanding, placing a metal hand on my slender one from across the table. Malakhai, Miracle, Velocity, and Don saw this and just silently admired it from where they sat. Even Symphony took some time away from her food bowl to watch us as well and I felt a smile creep onto her muzzle. I still remained silent as I stared at Shaundo for the next sixty seconds before I finally placed my right hand over his metallic one in return, showing him that you have nothing to be ashamed of. I did try to say one thing verbally and, after I said this:

"It's a blessing to the Tanuki Americans that you're alive… because they need you to take care of them, since nobody else will."

…Shaundo took it in like a champ and started to allow his tears to fall straight onto his homemade dish of macaroni and cheese while he smiled with all the appreciation he could hold within his elderly heart. This scene lasted for another full minute before he finally stood up and cleaned up his nearly empty plate. During that time, I watched him with soulful brown eyes while Malakhai just held me close to him on his right side, happy to see that his Father finally allowed some words to enter his brain for the first time since I defeated those goddamn twins. Before the old man left the kitchen for his room upstairs, he gave me one last strong-willed stare and finally said something I was actually never prepared for:

"You kill that fucker wit e'rythang you got. I wanna see his blood on ya as much as my son does."

I... was left… speechless… even long after he left up the stairs. With that being said, there was really nothing more to say anyway. All that was left now… was to meet up with Mark himself. Hopefully, he's done his homework.

* * *

><p>The next afternoon, at around 1 PM, I finally called Mark and met up with him at a bar called Dragon's Den. Pretty cool name, but I was too determined to even fantasize about it. Wearing purple sweater vest with a white sweatshirt and blue low-rise, but baggy looking jeans with pure white sneakers on this chilly Friday afternoon, I entered the bar and it looked just like one of those old fashioned Western bars you see in those kind of movies. Casual piano music was playing all over the place and everything, too. Miracle's place of safety was still somehow on my breasts, if not between them this time. He… made a fair compromise in this case. Most of the men in this club watched me with curiosity as I headed for the bartender and, by the time I got there, a bike rider with a pretty thick brown beard was just staring at me in an uncomfortable way, but I managed to ignore it as the middle aged African American male bartender came up to me and greeted me with utmost respect as he was cleaning a glass.<p>

"Well, well, well… hello, lil' lady." He greeted to me kindly. That made me smile just a little bit. Shaundo's words are still kinda echoing through my subconscious. "What's a lovely young woman like you doin' in a place like this?"

"I'm here to meet with Mark Darickson." I replied as casually as possible. Yeah, he gave me his full name. Since he's the last Tanuki Kicker, he might as well. "He told me to meet him here in a VIP room."

"Ah, of course. The door's right over there." The bartender pointed over to a brown wooden door that said 'Private' on it and I nodded once as a thank-you before I made my way towards that same door and slowly opened it to show a room that kinda looked like an apartment room. It was decorated in blue, brown, and white with a full kitchen, full bathroom, a TV room with several game systems, a DVD player, a huge 75 inch flat screen HDTV, and a bedroom fit for a king. As I was admiring the place, I felt a presence approaching me from behind and I turned around fast to see Mark himself, big, buff, and tall, like I expected. He was shirtless with baggy pure white jeans and white socks, coming out with a beer and a small metal bowl full of plain fried chicken wings, showing me a smile that told me to say hello right back, but I never made a smile at all and made my own way to the couch after taking a good thirty second look at him. Yeah, he was gonna pay for what he did to Shaundo and Miracle. He's a real thug with a ninja background and I was prepared as he made his seat next to me on my left side, settling his can of beer and his chicken wings on a small table next to him on his left side.

"You found the place okay, baby?" He asked me in a deep, rapper's tone. It never aroused me at all and Miracle still remained between by sweater vest and sweatshirt with a serious glare in his big blue eyes as Mark continued. "I see Miracle hasn't let up."

"He never does." I said in a deeper, serious tone of my cute voice. "So, you've been watching me this whole time and you never came after me. Why?"

"Wouldn't make a playa happy, ya know. What you did to my crew is exactly what I did to Shaundo, except the old man's still alive with robotic versions of his fuckin' arms. I gotta be honest wit ya cute ass, though. You really whooped those twins' asses, even with them smooth sexy legs weak as hell. Miracle's really close to ya, ain't he?"

"As close as he's ever been to anyone, including Shaundo. He's been living in Hell since you sliced off his arms, ya know. He actually wished you should've killed him when you had the chance. Why did you let him live?"

"Ya askin' me dat shit like you want him dead, too."

"Well, I don't… really, but still…" I did sound threatening towards Shaundo, didn't I? I didn't mean to.

"I knew he would call out fo' help, either way… and here you are, Ibuki-On-The-Scene herself. Ya really kicked some ass since you got here and those are just warm-ups. Once you face me, you'll neva wanna come back here again."

"Say that all you want, Mark. Ninjas never fear anything."

"Amen ta that. Speakin' of which, I wanted ya to call me, so we could make this fight fair, baby. I gotta admit it, though. I'm impressed that ya got dis far. You ain't let nothin' hold ya sexy ass back… and even Miracle's courage is startin' ta show. Back when my dog, Stone, bit off his tail, I actually thought he was gonna eat him alive, but he was thinkin' just like me. Wanted ta let him live and see what he'll do. Now that he's got that robotic tail, he can do so much mo' and live up ta his name." Mark paused as he gave me a pat on my left shoulder with respect. "I'm actually proud of what you've done, Ibuki. And for dat, I did ya a favor to make this fight even betta: I killed Stone."…What?! Did he really kill his own dog? I wondering where that bastard Rottweiler was. I was wide eyed and speechless after he said that and even Miracle was shocked to hear it as well, making him screech his loudest all over the room, but it didn't bother us as the thug leader continued. "I knew this would be a shocka to ya! Killin' Stone was my choice."

"Wow! You really are making this fight as even as possible! How exactly did you kill the dog?" This I HAD to hear. Mark bowed his head with shame before he grabbed his beer and popped it open, taking a quick swig before he spoke.

"I told him I was gonna go huntin' and I told him he had to come with me, since hated it when it came to huntin'. When we got as far out into the forest as possible, I pulled out my shotgun while I told him to go fetch a duck fo' me in a lake. Right befo' he touched the water, I made a clean shot towards his head and he died right befo' he landed. His blood stained the fuckin' lake by that time and I just left his headless ass there to rot with the fishes." Mm! A clean kill at that, too. I know it was hard for him to do it. "Basically, I wanted it to make it look like an accident."

"And it must've worked to perfection. Don was right, then."

"What?"

"He told me that Miracle and I have to fight you alone… without him. He must've had a feeling that Stone died somehow during our mission."

"Goddamn! Yo' tanuki is smart as a bitch, girl!" He paused he pulled out a chicken wing and took a good bite, taking his sweet time enjoying the flavor before he swallowed and continued. "Mm! Looks like I'm gonna enjoy this fight. Ready to make the fair stakes here?"

"Lay 'em on me, Mark." I got focused on him as I turned my body towards him, having Miracle get even comfier into my vest.

"A'ight. We fight with our ninjitsu weapons and fists and Miracle can tag along fo' da ride. If ya'll win, ya'll can kill me and brag about it all ya want. But, if I win, I kill you both, Shaundo, Malakhai, and Don and claim the Sanctuary as mine. Got it?" Shit! That is a tough agreement, but since he's fighting fair, I'm willing to risk all of our lives.

"Yeah, it's a deal." I shook hands with the thug, which made Miracle snarl with anger and agreement all at once. He simply said that he hopes Mark will burn in Hell once we win… and personally, I'll have to mentally agree. Mark's going down, whether we both die together or not. "Let's also agree to fight with no mercy towards one another. I am a Street Fighter after all."

"Yeah, you right 'bout that, baby girl. You want a bloody battle, you got it."

"Good. I wanna make Malakhai and Shaundo proud, whether I die or not. So, that way, if you do happen to win, I'll, at least, die with honor."

"Oh, a'ight. I see ya. You easy ta talk to, Ibuki. And Miracle, hope you fight hard, too. Put that tail to good use, lil' man." Miracle squealed in response to that statement before he flew out of my sweater vest and landed on my right shoulder with a nod of agreement. He was ready for anything, like we promised. Before I left, however, there was one more question I had to get off my chest.

"Mark, before I go, I just have one more question." I started matter-of-factly. He took another chicken wing as I continued. "What's the REAL reason behind this Tanuki Kicker team you've developed? You give me a good answer and see what I do at the fight." I asked him this because of what Shaundo told me before the very first mission. Mark formed this team to just simply try to take over the Sanctuary and sell the American Tanuki's luxurious fur in illegal practices. The massive leader gave me a stare that made his pale blue eyes look possessed for about ten seconds before he finally replied with no hint of remorse.

"Ya wanna know da real shit behind the group, huh?" He finally got aggressive with me and grabbed the collar of my vest, pulling me close enough to a point where we were practically nose-to-nose. Miracle made his most terrifying snarl when he saw this, but I silently told him to stay back as I kept my brown eyes piercing through his with all the fury in my heart, keeping the sexy determined smirk on my face as he continued. "Well, if you wanna know so goddamn bad, you're gonna have ta find out over my dead-ass body, bitch! Otherwise, I ain't tellin' you SHIT!" He screamed that last word right at my face at the very top of his lungs, nearly deafening both me and Miracle's ears, but we both held back and I amazingly kept my stern look on my face, not even cringing for a millisecond at that last yell. "Ya got dat?"

"Totally." I spat back smoothly, making my cute voice nearly have a seductive tone to it. "I can happily arrange that and do it quickly and effortlessly, just like what Miracle did to your brother."

"Humph! Cocky-ass ninja bitch…" Oh, fuck no! He did NOT just call me that! Oh, he's definitely gonna pay! "Now, get the fuck outta here befo' I slit yo' ass right here!" He pushed me away before I used the momentum of the shove to perform a backflip back up to my feet and dusted myself off casually, as if it was nothing at all. Miracle hovered the entire time before he made his way to my vest and got himself comfortable before I reluctantly made my way out of the room and out of the club, all while we both held faces of fury, determination, bravery, and courage all at once.

After that dark discussion with that motherfucker, there was really nothing more to say. It was silent for the rest of the day as we made our way back to the Sanctuary. I can say one thing, though, but Miracle beat me to it…

"Shaundo and Malakhai help."

…and all I can say in response to that is:

"Ya damn right."

…especially after that threat Mark just did to me.

To be continued…


	15. Chapter 15: Final Mission: Mark

Chapter 15: Final Mission – Mark Darickson

After my meeting with the mastermind behind the Tanuki Kicker team, Miracle and I were determined to kick that fucker's ass with everything we've got, even Malakhai and Shaundo will help us, which is against our agreement, but after what that bastard did to me before I left, I just wanna give him a taste of his own bad medicine. That meeting left an odd taste in my mouth and, as I was making my way back to the Sanctuary, the anger was literally making my pussy purr… and it wasn't from the vibrations of the car. Miracle kept his game face in check as well as I did for me by the time we parked in the new garage and turned off the engine to give us some silent time to think. Miracle finally grew up a bit after that encounter and started to speak in his adorable squealing voice… in perfect English… kinda.

"Mark asking for trouble." He started after he sat perfectly still on top of the steering wheel, looking straight at me with adorable anticipation. I sat up a bit and nodded in agreement as I spoke.

"Humph! Tell me about it!" I agreed as I crossed my arms. "If killing him is the only way to get the truth outta the whole Tanuki Kicker fiasco, then it shall be done… together." I gently laid a slender left hand on his back and stroked him as I said that last word, making my little buddy purr with satisfaction. "Ya think you can fight like a ninja, Miracle?"

"Miracle studied Ibuki throughout all missions. Miracle can be good ninja, just like Ibuki." Dawwww! That sounded too cute just now and my brave face was replaced with an angelic smile as I continued my massage on him. Did he really, though? Has he been studying my fighting style all while I thought he was just risking life and limb to save me at every mission?

"Awww, really? I never thought you were… _studying _me. What made ya decide to do that, eh?"

"Ibuki the coolest ninja ever." Good answer. VERY good answer.

"Thank you, Miracle. You're so sweet… and you're talking a little more. I guess your tail is doing that, right?"

"Papa Shaundo did tell Miracle that metal tail will not only keep Miracle alive, but also make Miracle smarter every day." Heh, heh. 'Papa Shaundo'… cute.

"Aw, that's good. Now, um…" My pussy's going insane right now. After that encounter with Mark, I feel like getting some of Malakhai, just to let the steam outta me. "…I really wanna get some good fuckin' shit from Malakhai right now. Can you let us be alone this time?"

"Cutie-buki deserve it. Miracle will sleep with Don-Don." 'Don-Don', now? He's… uh… he's been hiding these nicknames from me. I would question him about them right now, but first thing's first… I… need… Malakhai's… dick… BAD!

A few seconds later, Miracle and I finally got inside and I spotted Malakhai just finishing up with cleaning the kitchen with his Father and Velocity while Symphony was helping Don look after all of the American Tanukis out in the backyard. Miracle hovered before me and made one solid nod of reassurance before he flew out there towards that very same backyard, having Shaundo look over at me with a smile this time, which made me smile as well as he approached me.

"I've been talkin' a lot mo' now, 'Buki." He confessed to me proudly. That made me widen my smile from ear-to-ear as he continued. "I appreciate e'rythang you've done since ya got here. Did Mark hurt ya at da meetin'?"

"He was close to it." I admitted matter-of-factly. "I asked him what was the true purpose behind the Tanuki Kickers and he told me that, if I wanted to know so badly, I'll have to force it outta him over his dead body."

"Hm! Just as I thought. He's overconfident, but you'll be a'ight. Now, uh… I can kinda see dat horny look in yo' eyes. You want some from Malakhai, don't ya? Especially afta what Mark did to ya?" Damn! He read me like a book. Didn't have to say a word at all!

"Heh… yeah." I nervously scratched the back of my head in defeat. Malakhai overheard this and chuckled that sexy laugh as he made his way over to us and… ooooooh… holy hot damn! My kitty can't take much more. I need him… now! "I'm a little pissed off at Mark for threatening me like that and I just need you to relieve me of the anger before I get too ahead of myself for this final mission."

"I see." Malakhai replied as he gave me a loving embrace that made me hear his strong heartbeat pound against his powerful chest as I wrapped my arms around him. "Shall I fuck you as hard as humanly possible again or would you prefer to make it smooth and traditional?"

"Will we have some foreplay with the smooth and traditional option?"

"Do you want to perform the foreplay?" Damn. He's spicing through my head right now. I do admit that I only want his dick right now, but eh… what the hell…

"Just a good massage and a few kisses on my ass will be fine."

"Your pussy also? It does taste rather sweet." Tee, hee. Gross… but it's the truth!

"Yeah, that too. It's literally talking to itself right now and I really need the treatment, baby."

"Well, let's not waste any more time, my lovely ninja flower." After that was said, he picked me up and carried me in his arms as he made his way upstairs towards our bedroom. I was smiling the whole time because of how passionate and respectful he can be simultaneously. It's incredible! He never asked about Miracle not joining us either. So, since that was the case, I decided to bring it up before we entered the room.

"Malakhai, you do know that Miracle's not joining us this time, right?" I asked him in a tender tone of my cute voice. Malakhai nodded in response, not even making eye contact to me as he focused on opening our door.

"I noticed that as he flew by my Father towards Don, Symphony, and the other American Tanukis." Malakhai replied with understanding. "He did confess that he felt that you deserve it for being so brave among Mark's presence, right?" Oh… my… God. He knows Miracle can talk now. He's impressing me more and more every second.

"How did you know Miracle could talk now?" I asked that question with authority. I was just so fuckin' impressed! Malakhai chuckled as he finally entered the room and gently settled me down on the bed. I looked up at him with an adorable smile.

"Miracle's first birthday is nearing its peak and, since his tail holds that personal information, it's automatically allowing him to 'grow up' a little bit. Instead of growing older in the typical manner of an animal, he's growing like a human, only since he is an animal, his brain is smarter by a massive mile, enabling his ability to speak first… then, learn the basics of being a human later." Oh, wow. Miracle's tail is actually making him grow like a human… kinda. He'll still be an American Tanuki, though. "Impressed, are you?"

"Very, yeah. He also told me that he's been studying my ninjitsu all the time I thought he was just saving my life."

"He loves you, Ibuki… just as much as I do. He looks like a loyal animal companion to us humans, but to him and the rest of the Tanuki Americans, you are the best big sister he could ever have." And that sounded more like Miracle talking rather than Malakhai. I felt it all over my heart and, even with my pussy still going insane, I just… felt… honored. Malakhai saw that look of gratitude in my brown eyes and took off his tank top by the time he approached me and slowly leaned down towards me with his massive hands on both sides of me, weighing the bed down a bit, but not enough to make me slide off the bed.

"At this rate, Malakhai-baby, it's gonna be hard to leave once the job's done." I confessed in nearly a whisper as we stared deeply into each other's eyes, making Malakhai's regal-looking hazel brown eyes look so sexy to me.

"I understand, Ibuki-baby. Your decision on whether you want to keep Miracle or not is totally up to your heart to decide. Don't let our opinions, even Don's, make your decision." I already kept that in mind as he slowly leaned in for a passionate kiss that was just too delicious for me to handle. I do know for sure that Malakhai's gonna come with me back to Japan when this is over, but Miracle… I'm gonna need to fight Mark and kill him in order to see how I feel about it later. I'm literally torn between leaving the little guy here to take care of the other Tanuki Americans when Shaundo eventually passes away or taking him with me and let Don take his place as protector. Damn! I was hoping that wouldn't happen, having a lose-lose situation when it comes to which tanuki I wanna keep. Then again, I'm sure somebody from the general public wouldn't mind watching the American Tanukis. Hmmm… my kiss was lagging because of all this thinking and Malakhai sensed that as he momentarily paused that same kiss and gave me a solemn look on his face, stroking my left cheek along the way. "Are you okay? You appeared to be in deep thought during our kiss."

"I was just thinking about how hard the decision's gonna be once I get there. If I keep Miracle, Don will have to stay here, but if Don comes back with me, then… ugh… no…" I was frustrated. Malakhai never allowed that to stop himself from giving me some good fuckin' shit. He tried to get my mind off of this by slipping off my vest, then slipping off my sweatshirt before he pulled off my bra and started giving tender kisses all over my tits, making me groan out his name with all the desperation I had. That alone immediately made me stop all that goddamn worrying and just let my heart decide for me from now on. I held him closer to me for more and he never backed out of giving it all to me for five more minutes. After the last minute, I playfully pulled him away from me and just gave him an adorable smile of humor. Talk about a major case of a mood swing for me. Yeech! "Okay, now you're just showing off." Tee-hee. He really was. Malakhai made his famous chuckle again and that made me smile even wider before he spoke.

"I didn't want you to be stressed out before your final mission. You're already still a little angry at the fact that Mark nearly harmed you because of your curious question. I don't want you to be out of the mood for this."

"Awww, thank you, Malakhai. You're too sweet." I gave him one more kiss on his right cheek after I said this and pushed him back a little more to give myself some space for me to take off my jeans while he took this opportunity to take off his jeans as well. Again, I can already taste his cock as he was slowly taking them off and I even licked my lips to prove it. He saw this and… well… you guessed it… he chuckled again. Damn, I love it when he does that. It's making my pussy throb at its hardest, making me moan as I was now only in my wet panties. "You do remember that we're taking the smooth approach to this, right?"

"Yes, I do." Malakhai replied as he just slipped off his pants and was dressed in nothing but his boxers at this point. "Do you still want me to kiss that succulent booty of yours?"

"Yes, please." Awww, I sounded too cute right there. Malakhai didn't even show a look of nervousness as he approached me once more and gave me another passionate kiss on the mouth for a quick thirty seconds, lifting me up from under my ass after the first fifteen. I automatically wrapped my silky smooth legs around his waist in response to that liftoff. After the kiss was over, we just looked deeply into each other's eyes for the next ten seconds before he gently laid me back down on the bed, having me lying on my stomach this time. I kept my seductive smile on my face as he started to pull off my underwear and I wasn't even watching him. I kept my eyes staring at the backboard with my head resting casually over my hands, ready for the star treatment I need to just let all the negativity wash away from my mind. Even that sour taste I mentioned earlier was completely gone. I was confident now. I wouldn't care if Mark broke the rules to this upcoming battle. Since Miracle and I are cheating, I have no doubt in my mind that he'll cheat somehow as well. For now, though, he has no idea… and that's just how I like it.

A few seconds later, I felt a little cold as Malakhai finally pulled off my panties and my smile got even bigger when I felt his weight on the bed, making it slightly squeak on the way. I still didn't look back at him and not once did he say a word about it. Obviously, this is how he wanted it and I just love it when I satisfy him right on the spot. He kept me in high anticipation for the slowest fifteen seconds I've ever laid through before he finally smothered his smooth kisses all over my ass and I released a moan that was just too erotic for him to hear. His lips has always been so soft, whether it was a traditional kiss on the mouth, on my pussy, or even on my sexy booty, it didn't matter. Just feeling him kiss me is enough to make me smile all over… and I know he's enjoying it as much as I am, especially since he can taste it.

"Oooooh… you know exactly how to make me happy, baby." I groaned with satisfaction, sounding just oh-so-adorable towards him and me. Tee-hee! Malakhai paused his sexy kisses for a moment and just massaged there as he spoke.

"I would say that it's because you kindly asked me to do this, but since I did make this ten times better than you expected, I suppose it's safe to say that I'm doing this because I love you too much, even if you were to risk all of our lives in this final battle." Again, I don't know how he knew that, but still. I love him for it. Hearing that phrase alone made my heart jump as I resisted looking at him. "I know that's the deal if Mark happens to be victorious."

"Yeah. You, Shaundo, Don, Miracle, and me… and then, he'll be able to take over this Sanctuary for himself. I'm still willing to know what the true purpose is behind the whole Tanuki Kicker group, whether we're gonna die or not."

"I understand." He paused as he gave my smooth booty one more sweet and tender kiss on the left cheek while he massaged the right. "I understand completely. Now, it's your turn to tend to your deepest desire. How you perform is totally up to you, my sexy ninja queen." I'm his 'Queen' now, am I? Huh! I… kinda do feel like one when it comes to my skills as a ninja.

Anyway, I was ready to satisfy my true desire right now and I finally sat up and turned towards Malakhai, who was actually completely naked at that point, making my pussy purr right when I eyed his massive dick. Damn! He was just as ready as I was. I licked my lips to show my anxiety and he never said a word to me afterwards. He just gave me his signature handsome smile before he slowly crawled onto the bed on my left and laid down on his back, looking a bit too casual and calm for something like this. I never complained about it either. I love it when he's like this. That just inspires me to keep a cool head myself, especially when I go against Mark with Miracle.

I started off this session by sitting my cute self on my knees on his right side next to his standing solider and started a gentle massage all over that and his tender and juicy balls, like I was a professional masseuse. I even kept my eyes on it the entire time, too. Ooooooh, yeah. He's hard as a rock all over. I knew he would be, even if he knew that his own life was at risk.

After a good five minute erotic massage, I took my oh-so-sweet time leaning down towards his hard cock and took it into my mouth, tasting every last inch of him, even though it choked me at one point. He made a pretty sexy growl back there and I kinda growled with him, even with his dick deep down my throat. Feeling my vocal chords, he growled even deeper and louder. Damn, he's taking it in like a champ! He even found the energy to gently rub my back, like I was an obedient puppy… and heh, heh… I never complained. I'm being his naughty ninja queen and only following his orders, just he does for me.

After the longest and most delicious ten minutes we've ever experienced, it was now time to get down to the real shit. I left a pretty decent trail of my spit mixed with his original cream by the time I was standing straight on my knees and I know Malakhai loved it when that string was sitting right between my boobs. He managed to calm down after his intense twenty second orgasm before he sat up and humbly volunteered to lick that sucker off, feeling soooooo gooooooood… ohhhh, holy hot damn! His… his tongue… he's so professional with it. Mmmmm, fuck yeah! I held him closer to me and he responded to that quickly by tending to my beautiful breasts again for the next thirty seconds before he looked deeply into my eyes for literally three more seconds before he gave me a passionate kiss that was just outta this world. I… SMOTHERED… him… by the time our tongues started wrestling each other. I was clawing at his back and his hair, not even caring if I was hurting him or not. I just felt and tasted so good to each other.

Thirty seconds into that same kiss, we never stopped as Malakhai laid back down with me snuggled in his massively muscular arms and one hand worked on getting that spray-on condom on his still-standing cock. After he was finished with that, my instincts kicked in and slowly eased my wet pussy all around his dick and I sang out a groan that was so erotic, even I was practically swooning myself. Malakhai made that naughty smile I love so much and never took his eyes off me as I continued to ride him like he was a mechanical bull. Damn, it was really getting hotter and hotter by the minute and, after the first three minutes, I managed to look down at that same sexy smile and made one of my own as he started to stroke my left cheek with that same hand while his right was on my sweaty booty, feelin' that jiggle, baby! Fuck yeah!

"All this passion you've given me for these past few weeks have proved much more than most people think." Malakhai started in a seductive semi-whisper, keeping his regal hazel brown eyes on my chocolate brown ones. "Same goes for Miracle. He's literally only had my Father and I to protect him, but since you've arrived, it seems like he's forgotten our kindness and just focused on yours. It's that close bond alone… that makes Miracle truly THE miracle of the entire state of Georgia. Now that you're about to prove it all towards Mark tomorrow, what's going through your head right now, even as you're fucking me with all the love you could humanly possess?" Damn! He really does have a way with words and it's all true. I've made Miracle into the brave American Tanuki he failed to be, even if he's tried so many times before. His fear and shy nature made him cower before every enemy he faced before my arrival, but now that I'm here and we've established a connection that was totally indestructible, I just have one statement to say in response to that speech:

"This is the moment of truth for us, Malakhai… because Miracle isn't just a part of my life, he's literally a piece of my heart."

"…mmm. That phrase says it all. There's nothing more for me to say… well, except that I love you, Ibuki-baby. No matter what happens, I'll still love you and shall keep you forever in my heart and soul, with or without your physical presence." Ohhhh, my God! And he's slowly crying tears as he said it. I didn't even get to the big O this time, but my heart told me to forget about it and call it a day by slowly pulling him outta me and just lay down on top of him with my strong and slender arms around his body, using his hard pecs as a pillow as I cuddled him for more comfort. He just laid a warm and heavy left arm over my smooth body and held me even closer, finally letting his tears escape and stain the pillows below him. Having all this happening kept one thing in my… well, OUR… minds as we slowly drifted off to sleep in that position:

Mark… will… die… and nothing can hold us back.

The next morning, at 8:30 AM to be precise…

"Good morning, Atlanta!" Greeted a Caucasian auburn hair colored woman on the super huge HD TV we had in the living room. It was only Miracle and I in the room as we were sharing strawberry milkshake flavored toaster pastries, one bite at a time. I was already dressed in my famous tank top and jeans ensemble, except this time… the tank top was golden, wore baggy, low rise pitch black jeans with a matching golden belt with the two ninja stars still being a glowing titanium silver, and I even wore matching gold and silver sneakers as the news reporter continued. "Welcome to the Channel 14 Early Morning News. I'm Rebecca Gwalaver, here to bring you the latest news stories. Our top story this morning: The Tanuki Kickers literally have one… living… member left… and it just so happens to be the leader, Mr. Mark Xavier Darickson." She paused for a quick second as a pretty good picture of the douchebag was shown on the screen, making Miracle snarl at it for literally two seconds before I just gently laid my free right hand on his back and he immediately got quiet again as he took another bite of my pastry after I took one, still keeping my eyes on the TV. "He's been angry about the fact that a young college upperclassman named Ibuki has been doing all of the executions one by one, including the seemingly unstoppable Xaighazi Twins. Now that he's the last of the team, all of the American Tanukis of this city are all cheering for the aspiring ninja. The police have confirmed the official battleground for this fight: at the Downtown Coliseum. Apparently, Mark wants to make it a public attraction for all, or probably most, of Atlanta to witness." Hearing that last statement made me emit a nearly inaudible growl deep within the back of my throat while I showed a look of smooth anger on my face. Miracle did the same as he got more comfortable on my right shoulder this time as he still took occasional bites of my second pastry now. I can't believe Mark wants to let the whole city see this PRIVATE battle between me and him. Then again, I'm sure the public would love to see the very last of this violent team fall to their knees before Grandmaster Ibuki. Damn! I can already taste his blood now. Having that flavor mixed with this strawberry milkshake filling sure does taste remarkably delicious right now… and oddly enough, Malakhai's dick can't even match this!

"Mark's askin' for it." I muttered after my fifth mouthful of this sweet breakfast. "I don't know what he's got brewin' in that dumb-ass skull of his, but it's about to go to waste in a few hours." Even Miracle silently agreed by a nod. Trust me. I felt it.

"Aside from this, however, one thing is for certain: every single member of that audience is going to be cheering for Ibuki and Miracle." Rebecca continued on TV. "We wish you all the best and good luck. Mark can get extremely dangerous, so Ibuki and Miracle, if you're watching this, please… be… very, very, VERY… careful." I nodded once at the exact same time I muted the television right after that last word and just stared at the silent news reporter with Miracle just landing on my lap with a look of determination written all over his adorable face. We really weren't playing around. All of the American Tanukis as well as all of Atlanta are literally depending on us. We… are their last hope for freedom from the terror Mark and Tanuki Kicker team has wrought.

After thinking for literally three minutes, Velocity came by with Symphony as he sat down next to me on my left, having the obedient Saluki sit like a good dog right next to him on his left as well. He looked over at me with a glare that showed concern. I never made eye contact with him and neither did Miracle. We were both just staring at the silent weather report now as he spoke.

"For someone who had a hot round of sex last night, you sure do know how to keep your sanity in check." He quoted professionally, making me chuckle softly in response, still avoiding eye contact. "Are you both truly ready to defeat this madman? When it comes to his fighting style, saying that he's 'dangerous' is an understatement."

"And I understand that, but it doesn't matter." I replied with pride in my cute voice. "If that's how he's gonna play, that's how _we'll _play, too. Besides, I'm willing to satisfy Malakhai, whether we all die at his hands or not. He says he wants to see blood on me and that's exactly what he wants."

"Sounds like a tall order. May I ask why he so desperately wants to see blood all over you?"

"It's a surefire sign that I've kicked Mark's ass for good. I'm pretty sure the rest of Atlanta would love to see me smothered in blood, even in my hair."

"Mm! I get it now. Well…" Velocity paused as he placed a reassuring hand on my left shoulder, finally prompting me to look over at him with a strict glare in my chocolate brown eyes. "…whether it's your blood all over you or not, make us proud. Be the last one standing for all of the Tanuki Americans. It's YOUR turn to be the miracle." With words like that, there was nothing more for me to say as we embraced each other with bravery within our hearts. Even Miracle did the honors of flying down towards Symphony to give her a hug of his very own. This scene lasted for the next thirty seconds before we ended slowly and headed for the kitchen with Miracle just catching up to me and landing on my right shoulder on the way. Shaundo and Malakhai were within the room and the old, metal-armed geezer was already in position for a hug and I didn't even waste a millisecond to make my way towards him and give him an embrace that was already making me cry by the time I felt his metal hands touch my bare lower back. He was already in grandpa mode as he started feeling sympathy for me. Knowing Malakhai, I know he was in tears as he was watching this with Miracle now on his left shoulder. Shaundo had to ask me, though:

"What's da matta, 'Buki? Why are ya cryin', sweetheart?"

"I'm scared for you." I replied, still sobbing my tears all over his shoulders, drenching his white t-shirt. "This might be the last time I'll feel these metal arms."

"Awwww, don't think like dat, 'Buki. Even tho', naturally, I'm due to join da Big Man upstairs any moment now, I'm sho' dat he ain't gonna let me go up dere until ya kick Mark's ass fo' us. Dat much I can accept from a cutie pie like you."

"Really?" I took a good look at his sweet, wrinkled face and it said it all. He was destined to stay by my side, no matter what.

"Ya know it!" He paused as he gently stroked my tear-soaked face on my left cheek. "I love ya, 'Buki. I've been treatin' ya as if you were my daughta and dat ain't neva gonna change."

"I was hoping you would say that." Well… here goes. "I actually want you and Malakhai to help us out with this."

"What?" Both Shaundo and Malakhai asked together with total shock, just like I expected by the time I ended the hug with the nice metal-armed elder. Even Miracle nodded in agreement with me as I continued.

"So far, he's been testing me. First, he threatens me when I asked him what the true purpose of the Tanuki Kicker gang was, then he announces that he wants this fight to take place in a public coliseum. Now, if he's gonna break some rules, then so will I. I'm pretty sure you've still got a pep in your step, Shaundo." …at least, I think he does.

"Well, I literally haven't faced him since that terrible incident." Shaundo admitted. "I'm pretty sho' he worked out a strategy fo' me, in case he's prepared ta see me."

"We can make it rain with your arms, Shaundo. I know we can."

"HA! Now, ya talkin'! I'm in, then. Malakhai, what do you think, son? Wanna see him face-ta-face one mo' time?"

"Just to satisfy both of our desires to murder this bastard… yes." Malakhai replied with no regret in his voice. He was just as determined all right. I smiled at that statement. It was officially settled. Malakhai and Shaundo agreed to help us 'break the rules' and now, we have a battle worth dying for. "What will I do, though?"

"What _can _you do, Malakhai?" I dared to ask him. Malakhai made that sexy smile again as he crossed those massive arms with confidence. Uh, oh… looks like… it's gonna be-

"I just so happen to be a former professional gunslinger." ...yep. Just as I thought, since he did say he tried to kill Zedrick with a gun. "Basically, you name any gun that pops into your head and I can use it."

"Any gun?!"

"ANY gun."

"…wow. Well, can you handle two guns of any kind?"

"I can even mix and match, yes." Holy hot damn! He's good. He's REALLY good. "Does that alter your current plan in any way?"

"Hell, no! It's perfect. Mark is going down for sure, guys! Let's not leave that stadium without his blood on all of us. Agreed?" I placed a hand in our circle and Malakhai followed not a moment too soon after. Shaundo stared at it for a moment with a smile for a good three seconds before he finally placed a gentle metal hand over his son's and Miracle kinda did his own thing by just simply sitting like a good American Tanuki right on top of Shaundo's hand with a huge smile on his cute face and surprised us all by saying one phrase:

"Mark will die like mean fucker." TAAAAA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAAAA! That's my Miracle!

Thirty minutes after that was finalized, we had to get some training done before the big fight. Miracle, Velocity, and I trained together in a good space in the backyard… away from the other Tanuki Americans, of course. As for Shaundo, his training was to simply recharge his battle system within his arms. Since he hasn't fought anybody since he acquired them, it was the perfect opportunity to use it. Can't wait to see how they perform later. As for Malakhai, he had his own firing range at a very far distance from all of us and holy shit! I took a sneak peek at him and he was handling two chain guns… as if they were as light in weight as pistols! WHOA! Now, he did a spin-and-shoot kind of move and it literally took down every target surrounding him! Awww, fuck… easy, pussy… easy…

"Ibuki, are you alright?" Velocity asked me with worry as he saw me being in a trance by Malakhai when I was in position to perform my famous Kazegiri. "You look distracted."

"…" I was still watching my handsome gun slinging hunk. In fact, I didn't even hear Velocity… well, I did… I just didn't respond.

"Ibuki?" Still didn't respond. "Hmmm…" It was silent for the next two minutes while I just saw Malakhai handle two shotguns in the same way as the chain guns and, before I could even take a breath to sigh…

_**CLINK!**_

"OW! SHIT!" I screamed out in pain as I felt some kind of metal object cluck me right on the back of my head. I turned towards the source in a split second and it turned out that it was Miracle who was the culprit, due to his tail being in the position of shooting something while he sat like a good boy on a table on Velocity's left side. "What was that for?!"

"Ibuki was distracted by Malakhai." Miracle replied with honesty. "Miracle had to shoot metal ball at Ibuki to get Ibuki's attention." It sure was a heavy ball, too. Ouch…

"Was it made outta iron?! Sheesh!"

"You were in a deep trance, Ibuki." Velocity replied. "Iron was the best material to use to get you out of your reverie."

"…I guess." I continued to massage the back of my head as I bowed my head with shame. "It's just that… I never expected Malakhai to be so good at handling guns. I wonder how long he's been at it."

"We'll probably find out after the battle. It's better to know then than now."

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry for dozing off. Let's get back to our training!"

It all went on for the next one and a half hours. By the time we were finally done, Velocity, Malakhai, and Miracle all made their way upstairs to take quick showers while I headed for the kitchen to get me a glass of ice cold water after a hard work-out. Shaundo was still charging his battle mode in the same kitchen as well and I looked over at him. I frowned at the sight rather than smile… only because I've never seen him in such a state. I grew concerned as I carried my glass with me over to him and took a seat. Shaundo never moved his arms, but despite my worried face, he still gave me that sweet elderly smile. I slightly smiled back as he spoke.

"Feeling concerned 'bout me again, 'Buki?" He asked me, still keeping that smile. I nodded in response. I was just speechless. "Awww, don't worry 'bout me. These battle systems are high tech, compared ta Miracle's. I even have e'ry weapon known ta man in dese here arms as well, includin' one that I… uh… might regret planning in da first place." Uh, oh… This made me spring up with shock as he continued. "The name says it all, too. I called them… 'Da Suicide Strikers'. My arms turn into a pair of sniper rifles and each of them have one bullet. I have to make dat one shot count, but no matter what, I automatically have approximately ten minutes to live after da shot." Oh, no. Hearing that he regretted it wasn't an understatement. Those Suicide Strikers meant business. He still kept his smile though. Why? "Fortunately, I installed a special security system in those weapons: Miracle's Key Tail." Huh? "Yep! Only Miracle can unlock those guns." Oh! Whew! I'm sure Miracle would never, EVER resort to something like that… at least, I hope not. "Does that make ya feel betta?"

"Much better, thanks." I replied after taking my third sip of my water. "No wonder you regret building it in the first place, but I want you to die in peace, Shaundo. Let that Big Man upstairs decide when it's time for you to join him in Heaven."

"Awwww, you're too kind, 'Buki. We'll see if I need ta or not. Either way, just wanna say… you've been a great help for all of us here in Atlanta. The entire city owes it to ya."

"Now, see… that's the Mayor's line."

"I know." Tee, hee, hee. Even in a dark situation like this, he still pulls off a sense of humor you just can't ignore. I got up and gave the old geezer an embrace that was very warm to the touch as well as to our hearts. This battle was gonna be bloody, but hopefully, it'll be inspiring as well. The minute long hug was interrupted by the kitchen telephone and I reluctantly went over to it to answer it. It was Mark.

"Just wanted to make sure you ain't breakin' no shit." He started as a greeting. Humph! Motherfuckin' bastard… Might as well confess it to him. He sounded sooooooo guilty.

"Well, are you? Because I've decided to let Shaundo and Malakhai help us out." I replied smoothly, practically making myself sound sexy towards the thug, but he never sounded aroused at it.

"I knew it! Havin' me up in yo' face must've started da shit. You askin' fo' it, bitch!"

"You still haven't answered my question, Mark. Are you planning on breakin' the rules?" He's being persistent… and I hate that more than annoying people.

"…" He was literally silent for the next two minutes before…

_**CLICK!**_

OH, HELLLLLLL NO! I looked at the phone with absolute shock after I heard the dial tone for five seconds and slammed it back on the receiver, leaning up against the wall with my left hand still on it with absolute anger. Shaundo heard this and was shocked as well. I couldn't believe it. The bastard hung up on me after I asked him _the _question. Oooooooh, he's gonna regret that! I never said another word as I stomped my way upstairs, accidently crushing my glass into pieces on the way. So glad I'm wearing fingerless gloves. My hand never got cut after that.

By the time I made it upstairs, I went straight to me and Malakhai's room, slamming the door on the way in… and that made Don-Chan sit up on high alert from his nap at the exact same time Miracle and Malakhai came out from the bathroom on the far left side of the room, having Malakhai dripping wet from his shower with a white towel wrapped around his waist.

"What happened, Ibuki?" Don started with concern, even though he agreed to let Miracle and I fight Mark without him.

"Mark calls me, making sure I'm not breaking any rules in this upcoming battle... and then, I ask him the same question… and he hangs up on me as his response!" I replied with extreme anger, plopping myself in a bean bag chair afterwards. Malakhai and Miracle both hummed with deep thought as they heard this while Don made a dash for me and got in my lap while I continued. "He's up to something, Don. Are you sure you don't wanna reconsider not helping Miracle and I out with this?" I sounded desperate just now and Don shook his head in response. I knew he wouldn't change his mind, but it still didn't hurt to ask. "Hm! I figured that."

"Don't let that sudden hang-up turn you into a coward, Ibuki!" Don started with bravery. "Whatever Mark's got planned, you can top him! You've got a fuckin' gunslinger for a boyfriend, for Pete's sake!" Huh! Ain't it the truth?!

"Yeah, you're right. I have no idea why I'm bitchin' and moanin' about this bullshit! He hung up because he knows he can't beat us, no matter what he's got brewin' in that dumb-ass skull of his. He's gonna regret messing with Miracle and his family of the most beautiful animals I've ever seen. Malakhai, looks like you'll be able to finish what you started."

"Indeed, you're right, my lovely ninja queen." Malakhai quoted in agreement, making me smile. "Even though you were the one who killed Zedrick, it will be honorable for both of us to kill the other half of this dangerous family. Don, we all have total faith in your sister. I suggest you do the same as well, despite not having your assistance."

"I already did." Don replied as he gave me the most heart-warming embrace he's ever given me since I've met him when he was pup and when I was fourteen. "I love ya, Ibuki. Kick his ass and slice off his balls for me, would ya? I've been having a craving for some Bastard Dumplings for a while now." Heh-heh-heh-heh… gross, dude. I'll… uh… I'll keep that in mind. Leave that for Miracle to do later.

Hours later, at 2:30 PM…

Malakhai, Miracle, Shaundo, and I finally made it to the rear end of the Coliseum and it was just completely silent in the car as I placed it in park and just sat there, thinking hard about how this battle was gonna go down. I can tell Miracle showed the most courage, due to the fact that he was sitting up straight at attention right between me and Malakhai on the dashboard. I even heard some deep purring from the very back of his throat. After a good five minutes of thinking, we saw a platinum silver luxury sedan pull up right next to us on my side and I looked over with a smug smirk on my face and saw Mark himself, dressed in nothing but a pair of baggy pure white jeans and matching combat boots, his cornrow braids lingering in the cool breeze as he just stood there and stared at us for the next thirty seconds before his eyes looked as though he was scanning the car and saw Malakhai and Shaundo, making himself look pissed. I humbly stepped outta the car after turning it off and he approached me with a cool glare in his pale blue eyes.

"Humph!" He started. "You are cheatin' yo' ass outta dis. I see Shaundo's still old as Hell! Those arms ain't doin' shit for his ass! How come he ain't dead yet?!"

"Because you're not the boss of his body." I replied smoothly, not showing any sign of fear on my face or in my cute voice. "Only one person in this whole world is and he's waiting patiently in Heaven for him to help me send your evil ass down to Hell, where you belong. There is one more room open for bastards like you down there and I think you'll love the lava spa that comes with it."

"Keep talkin' outta dat sexy ass like that, baby. I'm-a make sure I slice it off those smooth legs for ya…"

"…and Malakhai can put it right back with his screwdriver called The Giant Dick." Oooooh, damn. We're not even in the building yet!

"Oh, okay. I see ya. Well, I'll meet ya inside then, bitch." He paused as he got in my face… a little _too _close. "I've got my weapons inside already… and I'm gonna use 'em all." After that was said, he made his way inside with confidence while Shaundo and Malakhai got out the car next before Miracle made his way towards my right shoulder and sat there like a good American Tanuki while Shaundo came up next to me on my left side at the exact same time Malakhai did the same on my right.

"I'm guessing that's his way of cheating." Malakhai stated in his usual professional way. I nodded in agreement and so did Miracle. Shaundo crossed his normal-sized metal arms in agreement as well when he spoke.

"Humph! It's gonna be payback time in my P.O.V., 'Buki." Shaundo taunted with courage in his country bumkin voice, making me smile mentally. "Ya'll go on ahead and get 'im started. Malakhai already got a good plan brewin'. Trust me. Mark'll neva know what hit 'im." And I had total faith in him at this point as I casually made my way inside with Miracle staying on my right shoulder. I never looked back at my precious Malakhai and his Father on the way neither, because I wanna know their strategy during the fight.

As I made it through the double door entrance, there was already a crowd of spectators cheering me and Miracle on by light appreciative applause all over the hall. Hearing this made us both smile slightly, but we still kept our eyes focused on the arena entrance before us. Three minutes later, we finally made it and lights were all over the place and the crowd in the stands roared with cheers as my left foot first stepped into the bright white lights. I managed to look all over the crowd and widened my eyes when I spotted Velocity, Symphony, and Don, who was in Velocity's lap, right at the front row on the left side. I kept my smile to myself, though, as I saw Mark standing there at six feet ahead of me with his hands behind his back, showing a smug smile that never intimidated me or Miracle as he snarled while he hovered next to me, ready for anything. As for me, I had my hands in the back pockets of my jeans, ready for anything as well.

"You ain't in ninja mode, huh?" Mark dared to ask me, since I was dressed in a pitch black version of my famous tank top and jeans outfit, minus the backpack, of course. I kept my strict face on as I spoke.

"Regardless of what I wear, I'm still a ninja, you dumb-ass motherfucker." I taunted right back, having Miracle's snarling and growling increase in volume in agreement. "Why ask me, though? Are ya scared? Scared to get your ass kicked by a woman?"

"I ain't scared of no shit!" At that last word, the crowd got quiet and I was finally ready. Miracle got quiet as well, but he was still full of fury in his cobalt blue eyes. "Any last words before I shoot dat sexy ass?"

"Are YOU finished talking?" I seriously have had it with this douchebag. In a matter of approximately five seconds, I pulled out my hands, revealing three kunai knives in each one, and dashed towards him with fire in my eyes. Miracle screeched his loudest as he propelled after me. Mark got brave as he pulled out a pair of Uzis from behind his back and started shooting at me, but I was able to dodge every split second bullet by veering left and right. When I got up to him, I prepared my knives to split his throat open, but he blocked it with his guns after he stopped shooting and we struggled for the next minute… until Miracle transformed his tail into a gun of his own and shot at Mark's left arm. He screamed in pain as he felt this and I found this as the wide open opportunity to perform my famous lightning fast set of four Tsumuji kicks right towards his chest, knocking him backwards. While he was regaining his footing, Miracle made a perfect landing on the soft ground before he transformed his tail into that famous TailSaw I love so much and made a dash for his legs. When he got to them, he sliced off his entire right lower leg, making the crowd go insane. I was mentally celebrating as I tackled the criminal by the time he landed on his back, ready to stab this asshole to death, but before I did, I had to ask him again:

"What's the motive, Mark?"

"Ugh!" Mark struggled to speak as he was pinned down. Miracle managed to sit like a good American Tanuki right on top of his heaving chest, transforming his tail into a pretty sharp butcher knife this time. "Bitch…"

"Tell me!" I was desperate, but I gave him some mercy as he struggled under my kung-fu grip. Miracle had his knife ready at his chest and snarled before he gave him one good stab right at his ribs, making him scream even louder before he spoke. "It's gonna be your neck next, if you don't tell me."

"…never." He pulled out a Magnum this time, aiming it right at my head… right at the same time he used his other hand to fiercely slap Miracle right off of him! This crowd gasped with horror at that sight and so did I as I tried to go after him, but the sound of Mark's gun cocking made me freeze with fear as I dropped my knives and held my hands up in surrender, still keeping a brave face, even though I was still scared. "Heh, heh… I can fight wit one leg. I came prepared, baby." He proved that phrase by using that same free left hand to pull out a folded-up prosthetic leg and professionally tossed over my head and onto his severed leg, letting it unfold into a full-fledged leg again before he sat up, holding me by my tank top collar. "Heh, heh, heh, heh… awwww, shit, yeah. I've been waitin' fo' dis. Now, keep still, so I can see yo' blood-shot eyes when dis bullet goes through yo' head." Damn it! I'm as good as dead again and Miracle was still out like a light. That's not like him. So, I tried the only thing that could wake him:

"Miracle… help me." But, there was no response. This got the crowd dead silent as they awaited for the worst, but five seconds later…

"IBUKI!" Malakhai?

"What da fu-AH, SHIT!" Mark was about to say before he spotted my gun slinging warrior just start to shoot a massacre of chain gun bullets, much more than what his Uzis could do. He was able to push me away while he managed to perform a backflip to escape during that shoot-out as I regained my composure by performing an elegant backflip of my own towards Malakhai.

"MALAKHAI!" I exclaimed by the time I landed perfectly and got my knives back on track and in my hands. "Damn, you made it right on time."

"He still never gave you a straight answer." Malakhai replied as he continued to focus on his shooting. "You need to retrieve Miracle. He really looks injured. I'll hold off the criminal." He read my mind and I obeyed as I made a quick dash for my little Miracle. He was knocked out and even the motor in his tail was silent. That sent my worry meter going through the roof as I held him close to me and started to rub his back to bring him back to life.

"Miracle! Miracle, c'mon, buddy! Wake up! Wake up! C'mon!" I was literally begging him to open those glowing cobalt blue orbs, but he still didn't respond. Even the audience was still silent as they somehow managed to focus on both me and Malakhai. A whole minute went by and Miracle still never even made so much as a breath. That never stopped me from continuing by reviving massage, but I started to cry for him at this point. "Miracle! Miracle! No, don't you fuckin' die on me! C'mon!" Still no response from him. I frantically increased my speed on the backrub as I held him up close to me right cheek this time! "MIRACLE! ANTHONY! I NEED YOU!" I figured calling him by his former name would get through somehow…

…and it did. I heard it. I heard a small set of three quick and nearly inaudible beeps before I heard the motor in his tail start back up again. Fifteen seconds later, I heard him made a huge gasp for air as his those beautiful blue eyes popped open at the exact same time. That got the audience going extremely insane and so did I as I hugged him close while he licked my face with happiness.

"Miracle!" I cheered with all the joy in the world. "You're alive! I really thought I lost you."

"Ya said da password." Shaundo came up to me, completely passing Malakhai and Mark's massive shoot-out behind us.

"He has a password in case he dies?" I was stunned. Shaundo nodded.

"Yep! He has a special revival system that sends CPR signals to his respiratory system ta bring him back ta life by just sayin' his forma name. So glad I installed it. As fo' me, well…"

"You have those Suicide Strikers. At this point, I don't think you'll be needing them." I pointed out that theory by turning towards his son's handiwork against Mark and, even though the fucker managed to fight back with his own arsenal of Uzis, Magnums, and a Chain gun of his own, he still was practically no match for Malakhai. Just seconds after watching, however, Mark was finally outta bullets on all of his weapons and Malakhai decided to stop at the same time as him, even though he still had plenty of bullets left. Shaundo, Miracle, who hovered between us, and I made our way in front of my brave boyfriend while he settled his weapons down. "Awwwww, looks like the tough thug is outta options. Maybe now, you'll tell me what the true reason is behind the Tanuki Kicker team."

"I still ain't tell ya'll shit!" Mark screamed as he stood up and cracked his knuckles with authority. "I said ya'll are gettin' it over my dead body and I mean it! Now, let's do dis shit ol' school… Street Fighter!"

"Oooooooooh!" The audience jeered. I placed a hand on my left hip with confidence while I raised an eyebrow in the same way and on the same side. Miracle landed on my right shoulder, showing the same face, as he spoke out his opinion on this. Malakhai and Shaundo, however, were speechless as they watched this.

"Mark has no more guns." The cute little brother of mine started. "Remember Mark's a ninja, too. Ibuki has an even fight with Mark."

"I sure hope he doesn't make us ninja look bad, then." I taunted loud enough for him to hear, which made his growl with intense anger.

"Grrrrrrr! You fuckin' bitch!" Mark snarled as he got into his fighting stance. He sure did look like a real ninja at that point and Miracle snuggled himself between by boobs again while I got into my famous fighting stance. "I'm gonna make ya'll eat dose words! Let's see how good of a ninja you really are."

"Now, that's MY line towards you, dumb-ass! Bring it on, baby. I've been waiting for this opportunity. Miracle, you hang on. You're about to experience a real Street Fighter tournament battle."

I started off this fierce fight with a quick dash towards Mark for a strong combo and he managed to block all of it except my low kick. I snuck past him on that one! He never lost his footing as he regained himself pretty fast and dashed right through me for a sneak attack, but I was just as quick against him before he could even pull off a punch. I blocked it with my right forearm before I counterattacked with a kunai slash to his chest. HA! He may be fast, but I'm even faster. So far, we were pretty much evenly matched. He's really good, but eh… not good enough. He held on to his bleeding chest for a moment while I stood back and kept my defensive stance up as I spoke.

"You really weren't kidding when you said you were a ninja." I started with confidence. Miracle remained silent while the crowd was cheering me on, taking in the actual Street Fighter-like battle Mark and I were having. "You're putting Guy to shame."

"Ugh!" Mark groaned as he continued to hold his chest for a few more seconds before he stood up straight and got back into focus. "Cocky-ass bitch… like I give a shit about Guy!"

"I don't either. He sucks." Seriously, he does. I don't know what some people see in him these days. Let's see him try to blast somebody to next week with his elbow. "Anyway, enough talk, Mark. Miracle's right here. Try to nab him. I dare ya."

"Now, ya talkin'!"

The fight continued on for a long ten minutes. We were both bleeding and bruised up by this point into the fight. I even pulled off both of my Yoroitoshi and Hashinsho combos on him back-to-back five times in a row! I really wanted this fucker to die! After the fifth time I finished him off with another slam to the ground on his face by my Hashinsho, he was finally down and he stayed down… but I had my doubts about whether he was officially out. Remember my battle against the Xaighazi Twins? My feelings about Raivonjai's defeat shifted gears a little too late and I died, but Miracle brought me back. So, I'm not playing around anymore. I kept my eyes on Mark as I stood up straight and cracked my neck a few times as a sign of satisfaction. Despite the audience going insane at their loudest, I still never showed them a sign that I won. Miracle kept a game face on as well while he stayed snug in my tank top. Malakhai and Shaundo carefully made their way around Mark's seemingly unconscious body and stood there by me, having Malakhai on my left and Shaundo on my right. We all stood perfectly still, watching him with curious eyes. The audience finally caught on to the scene after a good five minutes of cheering and got silent, awaiting results as well. I don't know what Don was thinking in the audience, but I know he was itching to come down here with us, but he stayed put in Velocity's lap. As for the former Tanuki Kicker, he kept a serious look on his face the whole time, even though the cheers. Symphony never made a sound, just like the good dog I knew she was.

Finally, after what seemed like hours instead of really thirty minutes, Mark's eyes finally opened and he showed a look of absolute guilt as he looked up at all four of us. I crossed my arms with authority as he spoke. I allowed him to say what he felt first.

"…damn." He started. "Talkin'… 'bout me putting Guy ta shame, girl… (Cough, cough)…you beat me to it already. Shit…"

"Just so you know, you've also been fighting a legend." I announced with a deep tone in my adorable voice. "They don't call me that for nothing, ya know."

"…heh, I like you, baby. I… guess… I can tell ya'll da real reason behind the… the… (Cough, cough)…whole Tanuki Kicker gang: Ta prove to my Dad… dat dey were valuable." That's it? That's all it was about?!

"It's true." Shaundo came in. I only made a side-glance towards him as he continued. "Yo' Dad… his name is Valentino Darickson, right?"

"Yeah."

"He was an old college classmate of mine. He thought the whole idea of havin' American versions of the Tanuki was dumb and just bullied me 'bout it all throughout my time in college. And 'til dis day, he still doesn't believe, even long afta I established dis here Sanctuary. Is he still alive, son?"

"Yeah… he's… in sitting ova there… (Cough, cough)…next to Velocity." What? I finally turned towards the very spot where the former Tanuki Kicker was and did indeed see an old Caucasian man that appeared to be in his mid-nineties that looked just like Mark sitting right next to him. Shaundo showed a look that said that he was pissed all over it, but I never paid full attention to him after that. I was too busy staring at Valentino. He looked pissed, too… especially since he sees Miracle resting on Shaundo's left shoulder. "…he… just came by here ta… support me…"

"Humph! No kiddin'." I muttered with annoyance, but before I could say anything else to back it up…

_**BANG! BANG!**_

Valentino was shot twice in the head and died instantly! Everybody gasped with extreme horror, including me and Malakhai, but Miracle wasn't. I looked over at him, figured it was him who made the shots, but it was actually Shaundo. I looked at his arms. They were transformed into a pair of sniper rifles. He… he used the Suicide Strikers to kill Mark's Father! Miracle's tail just changed back from a computer chip-like key and moved to Malakhai's left shoulder while Shaundo just stood there in the position of the shot. At this point, I started to slowly form tears in my eyes with my look of total shock still in check. Even Mark started to cry as well as he spoke.

"Thanks, Shaundo." He struggled to say through the tears. "At least… I'll see him in Hell, where we belong… and Ibuki…" I turned towards him at that sound of my name with my instantly changing from shock to sincerity. "…thanks fo' da tip… about da lava pit spa down there. You truly are a legend. Keep on kickin' some ass, baby… uuuuuuugh…" That was Mark's final exhale and he was officially dead, due to the fact that blood finally started oozing outta his ears, open eyes, and nose by that time. I made a small smile in response to that last statement and nodded once as I said:

"Glad to give it ya, dude."

As for Shaundo, he finally fell backwards towards the soft ground with just seven minutes left to live. Malakhai kneeled down towards him for an embrace and I got on the opposite left side of the old geezer's body in the same kneeled down position and I gave him a sweet kiss on his cold cheek. That made him slowly turn towards me with a smile you just couldn't even get paid a million dollars to look away from.

"Ibuki, ya just don't know how blessed I am to find an angel like you." He semi-whispered to me. My tears finally escaped as they streamed down my face, but I never wiped them away as he continued. "Ya saved da entire state of Georgia, ya saved Miracle, ya saved my son, ya saved Miracle's family and friends… and ya saved me. I can finally see my wife. God bless ya, Ibuki. God bless ya." He struggled to reach a metal arm out to me for an embrace and I humbly volunteered to push that arm back down in all due respect before I compromised by hugging him with my head lying right on chest barely moving chest. Malakhai and Miracle watched this scene in awe for the next fifteen seconds before they decided to join in the hug, having Miracle nuzzle his soft head under Shaundo's chin as a sign of his love. After those silent two minutes, we finally released him and just admired him from where we sat, having Miracle sit like a good Tanuki American on my right shoulder. During that time, Shaundo decided to let these last five minutes come into good use as he asked me the one question I hoped he'd ask me before his death:

"Ibuki, when them twins killed ya, did ya see my wife, RaiKhana, up dere in Heaven?"

"Yeah, I did." I replied with an angelic tone in my voice as I stroked the old man's cheek with all the love in my heart. "She's been waiting patiently for you, Shaundo. She misses you so much and still loves you to this day. She also knew that it wasn't my time yet. I still have a huge future ahead of me."

"Ya sho' do. Well, I'll be sho' ta see RaiKhana real soon. What ya choose ta do from now on is all up to ya, sweetheart… and I'm sure Malakhai will accept it. Won't ya, son?"

"Yes, Father." Malakhai replied with his tears of sadness oozing outta his eyes like a pair of waterfalls. "Rest in peace and say hello to Mother for us."

"I surely will. And Miracle… continue to be dat miracle everyone looks up to. I love you all." Those were Shaundo's last words before his arms finally shut down and he let out his final exhale at the same exact time. Shaundo was gone now and he died with honor, like he promised.

It was completely silent by that moment and Malakhai and I remained on our knees before the deceased Shaundo, closed our eyes, and bowed our heads in prayer. Seconds later, the entire audience, including Velocity, Don-Chan, and Symphony, joined in the silent prayer.

Shaundo's trip to Heaven is sure to be a pleasant one…

…and hopefully, a scenic one.

To be continued…


	16. Chapter 16: A Kunoichi's Decision

Chapter 16: The True Power of a Kunoichi's Decision – Part 1

It turned into a black day for the entire state of Georgia after the death of both the Tanuki Kicker gang and Shaundo, but the black day was all in honor of Shaundo. He's been a well-respected man for all of his years on this Earth and now that he's finally reunited with his wife, RaiKhana, in heaven, all was at peace for him. Since the fight lasted for a good three hours before it was all quiet, we pretty much spend the rest of the day laying Shaundo to rest. Malakhai did the honors of carrying his Father's deceased body on the way out of the arena with me walking right next to him on his left side, Velocity on his right, Don-Chan on my left shoulder, Miracle in my tank top between my breasts, and Symphony on Velocity's opposite side away from Malakhai. As for the rest of the crowd, they followed us not too far behind, completely leaving the corpses of Mark and his Father, Valentino, alone to rot and probably get eaten by the hungry rats that I happened to overhear underneath the ground during the two minute long silence. A few seconds later, we made it outside towards the parking lot and there was already a funeral line set up… kinda. The coffin car was already prepared and Malakhai gently placed his Father's body on the ground before them first. This puzzled me for a moment as I silently watched this scene with the rest of the understanding crowd surrounding us.

It started out with Miracle slowly making his way outta my tank top and landing on Shaundo's chest. He then turned his tail into a different computer chip-like key, aimed it at the old geezer's forearm, and, as if it felt a signal, a small door slid open to reveal a slot for the key and Miracle wasted no time slipping it in. He held it there for about three seconds before some soft beeping was heard and Malakhai held on tight to the metal biceps for another ten seconds before a very loud 'CLICK' was heard and he immediately pulled the arms off, showing his Father's dried up flesh where his real arms used to be. Miracle stayed onto one of those arms as Malakhai held them as if they were a pair of precious babies and stood back, leading me with him, as two men dressed in black suits carefully placed the now armless Shaundo into the coffin and slowly closed it shut. That sound of the coffin closing is what finally made me shed immense tears of sadness and I only could whimper as I toughened up like the strong woman I was, clasping my hands together in front of me and showing a face of honor all at once. One of those sharply dressed men walked up to me right at the same time Miracle made a landing on Malakhai's right shoulder instead of back in my tank top. That look in this Latino man's brown eyes kinda already told me what he was gonna say, but I allowed him to speak anyway.

"Ibuki, both the Mayor and Sheriff Winderleer as appointed you as speaker at the funeral." He told me in his handsome Spanish accent. "They both know you must have plenty to say about Shaundo." Ya got that right, dude.

"Yeah, I do." I replied in a serious tone of my signature cute voice. I tried not to allow my voice to crack as well, but it was hard as I continued to speak. "I'd like to speak… about Miracle as well… if… if that's okay." Damn, I couldn't fight back my tears. Even after Don gave me a few pats on my shoulder for comfort, I was still fighting it.

"Of course, you can. Express it all in the best way you possibly can. Take your time. Practically all of Georgia will be watching this on TV and most of Atlanta will be at the cemetery to hear you live on the podium, but it only has to be YOU performing the speech. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir." My tears were just non-stop as they loaded the coffin into the car and, as soon as it was all settled, I slowly turned around and walked over to our car. When I got inside the passenger side, I slammed the door shut and threw a smoke bomb at my feet, filling up the entire interior with the black smoke. When it cleared, I stepped back out and Malakhai, Don, who was sitting on the concrete, Miracle, Velocity, and Symphony were all stunned at what I changed into: a pitch black version of my old school uniform, having the blouse underneath being black as well as my socks and my signature ponytail was turned into long, straight hair with a matching headband, having the hair reaching all the way down to just above my ankles. Malakhai was the only one bold enough to approach me, but he never spoke a word as we just stared into each other's eyes for a silent two minutes before I gave two kisses: one on my boyfriend's soft lips and one on Shaundo's metal arms within his son's massive ones. After that was done, I made my way towards a black limo behind the coffin car and never looked back as I made my way inside the very back of the car. Velocity knew what was happening and watched out the window to see if he was right about my silence.

"Shaundo has really meant a lot to all of us, especially Ibuki." He started professionally. "My guess, at this point, is that I should take this i8 and drive it right behind the limousine. You all have to ride with me, but Malakhai, I suggest you allow Ibuki to have possession of those arms. I have a feeling that she might need them for her speech." So far, Velocity is one-hundred percent correct on everything I've been thinking since I said 'Yes, sir' to that Latino man. Malakhai wasted no time in doing that very same task the former Tanuki Kicker as given him. I rolled down my powered window right when he started handing me those gentle metal arms and I settled them right in my lap, still not saying a word, but I nodded once at him to mentally tell him that I really did appreciate it… and I never smiled neither. I was just… too saddened to smile. As I started to close the window, Miracle somehow found the speed and privilege to fly into the limo and sit next to me between the headrests. I looked over at him for five seconds before I finally made a small smile and he nuzzled underneath my chin as a way of saying 'Hang in there, Ibuki. Everything's gonna be okay.' And of course, I was willing to listen to him. These arms in my lap… is one treasure I'm keeping forever. That way, Shaundo will still be with me, no matter what.

It was silent throughout the slow ride towards the Flavington Cemetery. I looked down at Shaundo's metal arms and my whimpers upgraded to soft sobbing as my tears were just pouring outta me like a pair of waterfalls and onto the arms. I was worried that they might rust because of it and Miracle saw that look on my face before he finally spoke after what seemed like forever since we've spoken any words.

"Papa Shaundo made arms with special metal to keep from rusty." He said to me softly in that adorable squealing voice I love so much. Just hearing him speak was enough to make me smile through my tears as I finally spoke.

"That's good." I said in a semi-whisper. Then, I had to be honest with my little brother: "I'm already mentally fighting my self-conscious about my decision on what to do after this funeral. I do have to go back to Japan to finish my education, but… I don't wanna leave you, Miracle… or Malakhai."

"Malakhai has to stay here. Under Papa Shaundo's will, Papa Shaundo gave Sanctuary to Malakhai." Of course. Now that the Tanuki Kicker gang is gone, Malakhai can freely raise all of the American Tanukis without anybody putting him at risk of fraud and/or murder. "Even though Malakhai is Ibuki's boyfriend, will Ibuki still love Malakhai after Ibuki leaves?" Now, that question… is a no-brainer.

"Let's just say that Malakhai's love and support was for a good cause. I got the weight of the heavy burden of losing one soul mate lifted off my shoulders and I can start anew without hesitation. So, until the funeral is over, Malakhai is still my boyfriend." And I kept a serious face as I said that entire statement. Miracle nodded in understanding and gather even more faith in me as he made a graceful leap for the old geezer's arms in my lap and sat with elegance, even with his metal tail swaying on its own.

We finally made it to the cemetery and a decent group of supporters were parked behind us. I held on to Shaundo's arms and Miracle still sitting on those same metal appendages as I just got out the limo and headed for the burial site for Shaundo. Even the tombstone was already done. It said:

Shaundo Michael Wellason

February 14, 1918 – September 25, 2013

Loving Father, Friend, and Pillar to the Community of American Tanukis

Rest in peace, Papa Shaundo

So glad the tombstone was long enough to fit that third line in, but still. I took one look at it and made a smile of pure joy. I see that Miracle isn't the only one who calls him Papa Shaundo. A few minutes later, a pastor from a local church approached the podium and that was my cue to get up there and stand next to him, still having Shaundo's arms in my slender, but strong ones. Miracle moved up to my left shoulder by the time I completely took my position. I looked down at the crowd and saw Velocity, Don-Chan, Symphony, and Malakhai, who was dressed in a really sexy black suit… sleeveless with no business shirt underneath and the pants were just begging to come off. I was fortunate enough to maintain my sanity as I watched the African-American elderly pastor as he spoke before the deathly silent audience.

"We are gathered here today to pay our humble respects to our Grandfather and friend, Shaundo Wellason." He started in a gruff voice that really made him sound like he was the Lord of all who honor him. "He's blessed us with every word, every touch, every hug, and every single moment we've spent with him and he now leaves us with so many memories to keep forever. He's in a better place now and, even with those evil Tanuki Kickers gone as well, we can all live in peace and he can rest in the same exact way. Now, let's allow the person who can come close to being his biological daughter express her true feelings for this man who has cared for all of us, including every single Tanuki American in the entire state." That was my cue and I accepted the light, but loud applause as I made my way up to the podium, gently laying Shaundo's arms on top of the that very same stand before I clear my throat and tried hard to fight back my tears as I started my speech.

"First of all, I just wanna say that it's been an honor to serve all of you." I started sweetly. "When Shaundo first summoned me here, I really wasn't sure of myself, but then, that sparkle in his eye told me that this mission going to be a very tough challenge for me. He invented these arms you see before you and made Miracle become THE miracle for everyone. Shaundo was like a father to me. Despite my ninja background, he still respected me and stood up for what I truly believed in. As you all may have known, one of the Xaighazi Twins killed me and I made a brief visit to Heaven to meet his beloved wife, RaiKhana. She knew it wasn't my time to go yet and she also told me that she missed this sweet man. Now that they're reunited together in Heaven, we can all rest assured that they will live together again in perfect harmony, even if they're not with us physically." Here's where my tears really start pouring like waterfalls, even though I still kept a serious face. "Prior to his death, his final words were… 'I love you all.' I know he meant that he loves just me, Malakhai, Velocity, Symphony, Miracle, and Don, but to me… it meant more. He didn't just love the company he's been around since he found me. He loves ALL of us and we sure do love him right back. We've all cared for him and never thought of being mean towards the old geezer. Mark was pretty much the only person who was and, now that he's dead, along with Shaundo's arch rival, Valentino, both of those evil men can go to Hell and Shaundo can rest in perfect harmony in the Heavens. I am proud… to be his adoptive daughter… and with these arms, I shall cherish his presence forever. Rest in peace, Papa Shaundo."

After that solemn, but loving speech, I closed my eyes, despite the tears, bowed my head, and just let the trumpet softly play its farewell performance tune as Shaundo's coffin made its path down into the Earth. The rest of the crowd joined me, including Velocity, Malakhai, and Symphony. As for Don and Miracle, they climbed up towards me and snuggled against my ankles and underneath my chin respectively. It was gonna be tough going back to Japan after this. I have a feeling that I might be crying for pretty much the rest of my time there until I graduate, but who knows? I just know that Shaundo will be missed all over the entire state of Georgia.

Ten minutes after the funeral was wrapping up, I literally smoke-bombed back into the pitch black version of my tank top and jeans ensemble as I was walking back to the i8, which is officially mine now since Shaundo passed away. When I got to the car, I gently placed Shaundo's arms in the passenger seat and leaned up against the car on my back as I stared up at the clear hues of orange, red, pink, and purple painted all over the sky as sunset was just starting to make its move. It was so beautiful up there and I'll bet the cloudy beds are just so comfortable for Shaundo and RaiKhana. Having that thought in mind made he slightly smile right when the fellas and Symphony the Saluki came up to me, having Malakhai gently lay a massive, but soft hand on my bare left shoulder as he spoke.

"Your speech was a blessing to all who heard it." He started out in his usual expert best. I nodded in agreement as I responded.

"Thank you, Malakhai." I replied. "It was tough doing it with the crying, but it was totally worth it. I'm gonna get those arms bronzed as soon as I get home."

"I know you will. You know you have a lot to discuss with the Sheriff tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know. It's gonna be a tough decision on what I'm gonna do. He has Shaundo's will in the vault at the station. Whatever it says, I'll follow." And I meant that.

"Are you sure? What if… I can't see you again? I was hoping we could live together as King and Queen of the Glade." I was afraid he was gonna say that. I might as well tell him the truth.

"I… kinda hoped you would bring this up before we headed back to the Sanctuary. I talked this over with Miracle in the limo." I paused as the cute little Miracle flew up to my left shoulder and just sat there like a good boy as I continued, allowing Velocity, Don, and Symphony to listen in as well. "I vowed to call you my boyfriend… until AFTER the funeral. So, as of right now, we're just best friends."

"…what?" Yeah, that shocked him. I can see it in those watery hazel brown eyes. Even Don was surprised to hear this as Miracle nodded in agreement, telling them that this was indeed true. Velocity nodded in understanding with his precious Saluki as I continued.

"Listen to me, Malakhai. I really loved spending time with you and don't make this seem like I've been using you. I was losing my passion for a man and you kinda brought it back. I can start a new path in my life because of you. Besides, I know that Shaundo would want you to stay here and care for all those beautiful American Tanukis in his place. It would honor him so much. Can you do that for me?"

"…I can't say no to that request, Ibuki. I understand." Malakhai smiled after he said that and I was relieved. I was hoping he wouldn't take it too seriously, especially after everything we've done together. "I'll do my best to care for these magnificent creatures. That is a promise. You've been an excellent soul mate, Ibuki. I wish you good luck on whatever decisions you make."

"Thanks, Malakhai. I'm so glad you understand." Miracle started to snuggle up against my cheek as his response to this and I giggled upon his touch. "Tee, hee, hee… and Miracle agrees with me, too."

Since it was about that time for us to part ways, meaning Velocity, Symphony, and I, I decided to take care of that first before meeting with the Sheriff. Velocity decided it was best for him to return back to his old hideaway, where he'll be able to live in peace with his gorgeous Saluki. I gotta tell ya'll… he was one HELL of a great partner in all this. When I dropped him and his dog off at his front door, I gave him a loving embrace that was filled with gratitude while Don and Miracle did the same towards Symphony while Malakhai waited in the car. He… did confess to me that even though Velocity's on our side, he still doesn't wanna be involved some kinda way… and personally, I understand. When the thirty second embraces were done, Symphony stay sitting next to master's right side while he spoke.

"I am a little saddened that all of my comrades are gone, but it's Val I'll miss the most… next to you, of course." Velocity admitted. "Wasn't there something left in his house to remember him by?"

"Yeah." I replied as I pulled out a folded-up sheet of paper from my back pocket with my left hand and handed it to him with a cute smile on my face. "The title to his house. It's yours now."

"…what?! I… I don't know what to say. That's so generous of him! What? He knew you were hunting him down?"

"No. He knew he was gonna die."

"Huh! When and where he was gonna die doesn't matter either, right?"

"Tee, hee… nope."

"Wow. Well, I'll see to this later. Right now, mourning Shaundo's death comes first and it's gonna happen here before everything else. Thank you, Ibuki. You've been a great help and thank you so much for letting me join your rebellion."

"You're welcome, Velocity. If you wanna know where Val's been buried, he's at the house… in a marble vase above the fireplace."

"What color?"

"Blue with green stripes."

"His two favorite colors…" Ah, there's a smile. Yeah, they decided to cremate Val's body and place him somewhere that Velocity will cherish his spirit forever, just like how I'll do it with Shaundo's bronzed arms of steel.

Five minutes later, Malakhai, Miracle, Don, and I finally made it to the 2nd Precinct to talk this over with Winderleer. When we got to his office, there was already two soft bed for Don and Miracle to relax on while there was two soft leather chairs for Malakhai and me. We all took our respective positions, having Miracle lying down in front of me, of course, before Sheriff Winderleer came in from another door behind his desk with a heavy file folder in both of his hands and he had a strict look on his elderly face as he spoke with his usual authority.

"First of all, Ibuki, on behalf of the entire force, we give you our utmost gratitude for destroying all but the one opposing part of the Tanuki Kicker gang. You have done your job exceptionally well." He started as he folded his hands together on top of the desk. I smiled in response to that statement before he continued. "Now that you're about to head back to Japan to complete your education, there are a few things about it that I would like to share with you. First thing, we've already paid off your student loans and tuition in full. You should graduate debt-free." SAY WHAAAAAAAT?! YEEEESSSS! Freedom's already knocking on my door now! I maintained my excitement by showing an even bigger smile instead. "Looks like that's extremely helpful to you. Secondly, you've automatically been promoted to Grandmaster in your Ninja Training sessions." WHOA! Another huge leap in my life done! Damn! Now, choosing what to do is really gonna be hard. "Congratulations on that! Now, on to the real deal. According to Shaundo's will, Malakhai has been automatically chosen to permanently take his place as the new caretaker for his entire American Tanuki Sanctuary. As for Miracle, his famous Miracle Badge of Protection has now been extended to be accepted as far and wide as… well… all over the world. That means that, no matter where he is, he'll always be protected and that fee will stick." And I know exactly why he's telling me this. "You look a little blue. Are you okay?"

"Could I keep Miracle?" I asked with concern in voice. Winderleer nodded.

"Yes, it's a possibility, but the choice is entirely up to you, Ibuki. Keep in mind, however, that if you do decide to keep Miracle, Don will have to stay here with Malakhai." Oh, no…

"…can I keep both of them?"

"No, Ibuki… you can't. Shaundo's rules. He follows one simple phrase very well: 'If you love something… set… it… FREE.' So, who do you love more? Don or Miracle?"

…wow. I'm… gonna have to think this one over. I've already let Malakhai down easy.

What am I gonna do?

...who do I love the most? I love them both equally, but if I had to choose, it'll have to be…

To be continued…


	17. Chapter 17: A Kunoichi's Decision 2

Chapter 17: The True Power of a Kunoichi's Decision – Part 2

"…Don." I finally replied after a full ten minutes of thinking. A wide variety of reactions came through all over the office:

Winderleer: Understanding by a nod

Malakhai: Pretty much the same as the Sheriff

Miracle: A mixture of happiness and concern

Don: Absolute… shock

He looked up at me and was literally at a loss for words. Winderleer still kept his calm look of approval as he spoke.

"You sounded absolutely sure about that decision, despite the ten minute silence." The Sheriff pointed out. "I have to ask, though… why let Don stay here?"

"He's been my little brother for many years and I did miss him when I started college." I started with all the honesty in my cute voice. "But, now, since this whole mission started, I feel like he finally deserves the star treatment he gained from his American cousins. Besides, he's got a crush on one of them named Zaironica. I know he'll wanna be with her. This is making him happy, not me."

"Sounds reasonable to me. Don, your thoughts?"

"…You… you love me enough to let me go?" Don asked me after he leapt up to my lap, showing me that same exact sad look he gave me before I officially left for Sarusuberi. "How come?"

"Because I love you, Don. I love Miracle just as much, but you deserve to stay here. I'll be sure to keep in contact with ya, though."

"…wow. Well, I hope you and Miracle have an awesome life together. Personally, I think he makes a better baby brother than me."

"Awww, Don-Chan. I'm so glad you agree." We made a touching embrace that made everyone around us silently shed tears of pure joy for the next two minutes. "You take care of yourself."

"Same for you, Ibuki."

"Then, it's settled." Winderleer announced. "The next flight to Japan is tomorrow afternoon at 3:00. Get plenty of rest, Ibuki. You deserve it."

"Thank you, Sheriff." I replied before I got up outta my seat and headed for the exit with only Miracle accompanying me on my right shoulder. I looked back at Malakhai and Don, but all they did was smile back at me and never moved. That alone was their way of saying 'Have a safe trip tomorrow'.

Malakhai was Don's owner now.

The next morning, at 7:15 AM, I was already in the kitchen of the Sanctuary, making a hearty, but healthy breakfast for Miracle and I. The cute little guy was sitting like a good American Tanuki on my left side of the stove. As I was cooking some scrambled eggs, I made a small smile as I looked over at the counter away from Miracle. I imagined Shaundo standing right next to me, commenting me on my cooking. His elderly country voice just echoed all through my head and it just made me giggle. I miss that old geezer. He really did treat me like he was my Dad, ya know. Malakhai never made it back to the Sanctuary last night and the same went for Don-Chan. He was actually with my ex back at his mansion, waiting patiently for me to leave so they can take over. After a good minute and a half staring at the bare countertop, I turned my attention over to Miracle and he actually showed a look of apprehension rather than a smile, despite my tearfully happy face.

"Is Ibuki okay?" He asked me sweetly. I managed to wipe a joyful tear as I spoke.

"I'm fine, Miracle." I replied as I resumed my focus on my cooking. "I know Don will be in good hands, even though he'll be even further away from me than before. You're an awesome baby brother… but judging by how you love being between my boobs all the time, well…"

"Tee-hee. That's not brotherly."

"In your manner of speaking, yeah. So, you wanna just be called friends, so people won't get the wrong idea when we get back to Japan?"

"BFFs." Awwww. So cute, Miracle is. Tee-hee.

"Oh, okay. BFFs, then." He must've heard that from somewhere.

After our breakfast and after we fed the Tanuki Americans within twenty minutes time, Miracle and I started to get ourselves cleaned up together… and by together, I mean in the bathtub. His respect towards my naked body is just as good as Malakhai's, but at the best friend level instead. At this point, I had already washed off all the stress and grime from my body and moved on to having some fun bath time with cute little Miracle. Speaking of his name…

"Do you wanna be called Anthony again?" I dared to ask him as I was washing off his silky soft hair while he was laying on both of my knees, which were outta the warm water. His cobalt blue eyes perked up with excitement.

"I want a full name now." He said perfectly AT LAST! He wasn't talking like a baby anymore, even though his tone still had that taste. He's growing up fast! I'm so proud of him! I chuckled at that statement.

"You do, huh? Just like Shaundo and Malakhai, right?"

"Yeah!"

"Hmmm…" If he wanted a full name, it'll have to be so authentic, nobody would copy it. So, after a full five minutes of thinking and washing him all at the same time, I finally decided on the perfect name: "Anthony Myraykl (pronounced my-ray-kul) Wellason."

"Oooooh… how is Myraykl spelled?"

"M-Y-R-A-Y-K-L." That look of approval in that adorable face… cannot deny it! He loves it! "The middle name will nearly sound like Miracle, but with a more accented flow to it."

"I love it. So, now my name is Anthony Myraykl Wellason. That sounds so much cooler!"

"It kinda does, doesn't it?"

"Yep! So, about Shaundo's arms… how are you gonna carry them onto the plane?"

"Oh, I'm sure I can hold them in my lap during the flight. If not, then the overhead bin it goes."

"Sounds good. I'm gonna miss Don and Malakhai."

"Me, too, Anthony. Me, too."

With just an hour left until we make it back home to Japan, there was just one more thing I wanted to take care of… and I was desperate:

"You want to have one more quick round of sex before you go?" Malakhai asked after I just asked him after arriving at his mansion right when he was just about finished packing up his belongings for the move to the Sanctuary. "Define 'quick' and maybe, I'll be more than happy to accept your request." He's never heard of a quickie, obviously.

"Well, since I have an hour until my flight, let's make it fifteen minutes." I replied with a frantic nod. Like I said, I was desperate. Malakhai saw that look of anxiety on my face and just chuckled at how cute I was.

"Awww, you look hungry, but since those American Tanukis are eagerly awaiting my presence, I'll make it ten minutes instead. It's basically a quick fucking, right?"

"Pretty much." I cannot lie to him there. Just ten minutes of him fuckin' me like a beast? Hell yeah, baby! I can take that! Malakhai nodded in understanding before he grabbed my ass, not my hand, and led me to his living room towards the hefty couch. I never protested against that kung-fu grip, either.

When we got there, Malakhai made one more firm squeeze on my booty before he took a seat right in the center of the couch and took his oh-so-sweet time with the zipper on his baggy blue jeans. I watched his hands the whole time and my pussy just went completely insane. In fact, I started feeling my pleasure juices drizzle down my legs and I'm wearing jean shorts for Pete's sake! I moaned at both the feeling of my kitty just drooling and at the sight of Malakhai's cock ready to emerge from his fly at any moment. After that brief moment of staring, I finally decided to take off my shorts and panties before I got comfortable in his lap in just my tank top with his dick resting between my butt cheeks like a horny college boy. He admired me for a minute as he stroked my right cheek with all the love in the world, despite the fact that we won't be together anymore once I leave.

"Let's make this the most epic quickie we've ever experienced… especially since it'll be the ONLY quickie we'll ever have as well." He quoted so perfectly without any regrets in his voice. I nodded in agreement as my response to that statement and just kept a cute smile of desire on my face. I mentally vowed to never say a word until we start this shit and end it with a bang! Malakhai noticed and made a ravenous smile of his own as he continued. "You dare to make it a silent quickie, huh?" What do you think, baby? "I see. That smug look on your adorable face and the silence says it all. Your voice is mesmerizing to hear in a moment like this." He paused as he carefully aimed his protected dick right at my pussy at the exact moment I slightly lifted myself up to give him some space. "Are you ready to make this your finest farewell performance?" I nodded with that same adorable look of inducement on my face. I was so ready for this and Malakhai's charming smile already made the moment seem extra special for the both of us. "Sing for me, baby." After that was said, I slowly eased down onto him and I sure did sing out an erotic groan that was just soothing to both of our ears.

My slender hands were resting on his broad shoulders as I stared right into those regal hazel brown eyes as I was just riding him like a mechanical bull while he held on to my jiggling booty, giving it a few squeezes at every three bounces. Believe me, I'm counting this in my head. Damn, I can tell that he's gonna miss me once I leave. I know we'll never forget all that we've been through together and who knows? Maybe my new boyfriend won't mind the whole 'Spank My Booty. I've been a Bad Girl' routine that I just invented with this sexy man. It'll be totally awesome to share. For now, though, I just gotta spend these last seven minutes with this gentle giant.

Three minutes went by and I already rode through eight orgasms. Holy shit! I… I never experienced a quickie like this before in my life! Mala… Malakhai's been… oooooh, ooooooh, fuck… he's been just as anxious as I wa-HAAAAA-ss! Shit! There's Big O the Ninth! I started leaking tears outta my closed-shut eyes as I screamed out towards the ceiling and I felt Malakhai's soft hand wipe away my tears while his left hand was still squeezing and jiggling my ass, which actually made those previous nine orgasms so intense, I was shaking like I saw a ghost before my eyes!

"Mmm." He started as he started pumping into me with his strong hips, making me sing out his name in pure ecstasy. "Your new boyfriend will honor and love you forever once you find him. Ibuki, can I make a suggestion on who you should look for? You don't have to keep this advice, if you don't want to." Whatever he has for me, I'll take it… even at a fuckin' good time like this. I forced a nod as I found the energy to look into those beautiful eyes again, giving him my utmost attention while I was still bouncing on his dick with alternative moans and groans coming outta me. "They say opposites attract and I'm sure you'll find a man who is opposite on both height and interests, but also make sure that no matter what the race is, he treats you with all the respect in the world." Huh! That's actually pretty good advice to follow. Now that he mentioned it, dating a short guy for once does sound like an interesting new route to take. Dating a big guy like Malakhai was awesome. Dating someone shorter than me… that's gonna be just as awesome. I know it! I regained my senses after hearing that and, with only two minutes left to spare, we quickened the speed simultaneously and we were both making all kinds of exotic sounds at our loudest and the biggest O of them all for both of us exploded all through our bodies, giving each other the tightest and warmest embrace ever… and without Malakhai nearly crushing me in those massive arms of his! Seconds later, we finally calmed down and Malakhai took his sweet time pulling outta me and zipped himself back in as he started stroking my booty softly while I was doing the same to his smooth face with a smile that showed appreciation for his advice. "Did you get that?"

"Ye… yeah, I did." I replied with fatigue. "I've… always thought about dating a short guy for once, but… I never… got to it."

"Well, now's your chance. Make your first impression memorable… with everything we've done together passion-wise."

"Already thinking up the perfect one now. Thanks, Malakhai. I know you'll do just as well as your Father when it comes to caring for these magnificent tanukis. Make him proud for me." I paused as I gave him a loving embrace that actually sent tears dripping onto my bare shoulders. He was blessed to hear those words from me… and I felt just as blessed thinking of the phrase in the first place.

Thirty minutes after that, Anthony and I finally made it to the airport and got on our assigned plane, which actually allowed my best friend to sit next to me rather than be locked away in the cargo bay with the other animals. He sat like a good boy next to the window on his left side while I sat closer to the aisle and leaned back to relax my nerves. Before I got too comfortable, though, the pilot announced that there was gonna be a small ten minute delay before take-off. I decided to take this opportunity to check up on Don and Malakhai through a video call on my smartphone. Anthony saw this and got in my lap to take a closer look before Don appeared on the HD screen of my phone, looking happier than when I first met him when he was just a pup.

"Enjoyed your quickie?" Don started with his usual humor, making me and Anthony laugh for literally five seconds before I spoke.

"It was the best quickie I've ever had in my life." I replied with just as much humor. "Did you and Malakhai settle in to the Sanctuary?"

"Yeah, we're all set and I'm already getting attention from my American cousins again. Even Zaironica gave me a lick on my nose as her greeting. I guess she really does like me." Doesn't sound like a sign of a 'like' to me. "What's with that smirk, Ibuki?"

"Are you sure that's a way of saying she LIKES you?" Yeah, that question made him nervous. If he was human, he would be sweatin' bullets right now. "Uh, huh… that's what I thought. You LOVE her, Don. Admit it."

"…okay, okay. Ya caught me, but hey! Can't say I blame her. I am irresistible, ya know." Sure, he is. Already, he's getting cocky. "Anyway, I heard from Malakhai that you're already setting your sights on someone more suited to ya, thanks to his advice."

"Yeah. Dating him was a way to get all the bats outta my head, but now, I'm ready to take on a short dude. Since I'm five feet and four inches tall, I've gotta date a guy that's at least three feet tall. I can push him in a stroller and he'll just be hard as solid rock the whole ride through because of me."

"HA! There ya go! Treat him like a prince! Well, I wish ya good luck on your journey to find a new love in your life. Anthony, thanks for letting me be your brother from another mother, dude. I really appreciate it." Awwww. Now hearing THAT from Don-Chan kinda made me cry silently as Anthony spoke.

"It was an honor." He started just as sweetly in that cute squealing voice of his. That tail really made him into a grown man at this point… and probably a bolder man at that, too. "Take care of my brothers and sisters for me, okay?"

"No problem! Before I hang up, though, I just wanna point out one thing and Ibuki, I hope you're listening back there. Are you crying?"

"…yeah, but I'm listening." I replied through my cracking voice with a nod before Don continued.

"I asked Malakhai if any Tanuki Americans passed away at old age since the Sanctuary was established by Shaundo and he said there was only two: Your parents, Anthony. Is that true?" Oh, no… no wonder he never mentioned his parents since Don and I arrived. Anthony took in that statement and kept a brave glare in his cobalt blue eyes, even though he was crying as silently as I was. "Looks like it is true. What were their names?"

"Croverfield and Xaninia." Anthony replied without hesitation. Those were pretty cool names. Shaundo never ran out of ideas for these beautiful animals' names. "They were 77 years old when I was born and the labor was hard for them, since Xaninia was old. The stress they had on taking care of me after my incident with Mark and Stone caused them to die, leaving the parental rights towards Shaundo." Awww, the poor things. I guess caring for their own son with a robotic tail was a bit of struggle for them. Rest in peace, you two. Be proud of your only son for what he's done. Don nodded in understanding as his response.

"77 years old, huh? They really do live a long time, just like my species does. I'm sure they are so proud of you for making it through in one piece."

"I know they are." Anthony's got that right. "Take care of yourself, Don."

"You both do the same and Ibuki, keep your pussy under control this time, would ya? Don't make Anthony's nose go insane when you meet your new man." Heh, heh… I was hoping he would give me that warning.

"Thanks, Don. I'll try." I replied with a smile before I said my last words to him before hanging up: "I love you with all of my heart."

"I love you too, Ibuki. Bye." We both hung up after that and Anthony got back in his respective seat and sat in an adorable pose that was just heartwarming as I just turned off my cell phone and placed it away right when the pilot announced that he was ready for take-off.

"I'm not Don's replacement, am I?" Anthony dared to ask with uncertainty. I shook my head as I faced him in a relaxed position with my chair slightly leaned back.

"Nobody can replace Don-Chan." I replied with pride. "Let's just say you two are like foreign exchange students. It's not a replacement."

"Phew, good. Aren't you excited about graduation since you're pretty much paid off and done for?"

"Yeah, totally. I'm wondering about my car, though."

"Excuse me, ma'am." A flight attendant approached me as if it was on cue and I looked up at her. "I couldn't help overhearing. Were you concerned about your car?"

"Yeah, I had an i8 that Shaundo Wellason gave me as a reward for helping him through the whole Tanuki Kicker fiasco."

"Well, that i8 has been safely transported to Japan for your convenience. They even placed a proper ID on it, just so you can identify it when it gets there." Phew! That's good! I was worried.

"Oh, okay. Thanks for telling me."

"You're very welcome. In the meantime, the pilot saw those robotic arms you carried on to this plane and allowed you to hold them in your lap, giving your luggage some breathing room." YES!

"Tell him I said thanks."

"I surely will. Enjoy the rest of your flight, Ibuki. Congratulations on your victory." She went on to the rest of her day after that and I sighed with relief and so did Anthony as I made my way to the overhead bin and pulled out Shaundo's arms before sitting back down in my seat, just casually laying my slender hands over them.

"So glad I can hold these." I commented as we just took to the air back to Japan. "Sarai's gonna love you, Anthony. Hell, we just might all live together once I do graduate."

"I hope so." Anthony cheered with glee before he changed his emotion to hopeful, making me perform that same face towards him as he continued. "Ibuki, what was heaven like when those twins killed you? Was it beautiful?"

"Absolutely." How can I not admit this to someone who saved me from my stay up there? "It was like a cloudy oasis, filled with many rooms, beds, and even a spa to relax in, so you could really rest in peace. At the very moment I saw RaiKhana, I knew she would give me some confidence in myself by the time you revived me. Now that both Shaundo and RaiKhana are together again, they can watch over us and help us in any way they can, especially towards their son." And I meant every word. Anthony nodded in understanding.

"I miss Shaundo already. I'll bet RaiKhana is taking better care of him since he's armless now." Mm! Ain't that the truth? Shaundo, you really have been a great father figure to me, something I could never have back in my childhood. I promise to take good care of Anthony for you and please…

…don't overexert yourself up there. Living with no arms is worse than Death itself, ya know.

To be continued…


	18. Chapter 18: A Fresh Restart

Chapter 18: A Fresh Restart

Finally!

After nearly an entire month dealing with the Tanuki Kickers and practically an entire day mourning the death of my adoptive father, Shaundo, I was back in Japan after a relaxing 15 hour flight. I had just woken up from a peaceful slumber right when I heard the pilot announce that he was just ten minutes away from making landfall at the Tokyo Airport. I stretched and yawned for a good fifteen seconds before I straightened up, holding Shaundo's arms in my lap with one hand while I gently woke up Anthony with the other. All I did was give him a sweet massage between his rounded ears and he slowly opened those deep blue eyes before he started to stretch like a dog for a few seconds before he sat up straight and looked right at me with a smile that you just couldn't even pay me a billion dollars to look away from.

"Hi, Ibuki." He greeted with so much glee in his squealing voice. "Are we there yet?"

"Just ten minutes away, yeah." I replied as I sat back in my seat, holding on to Shaundo's arms with all the love in my heart. "I have a feeling that many people here are gonna see ya as a celebrity when we land. I've been texting Sarai about you throughout the whole experience and you never knew about it until now. I'm sure she's spread the word by now."

"I can't wait! What I really can't wait for is your new boyfriend." I knew he would be, considering that I've been dreaming up the perfect guy since we took off back in Atlanta. "Besides the short height, what else are ya lookin' for in your new soul mate?"

"Well, since Malakhai said race shouldn't matter, that's totally outta the equation. What does matter is that he respects me for who I am: a ninja. He also has to be smart, super sweet, gentle towards you, caring, and strong."

"Having a job doesn't matter, too, right?"

"…kinda." I was being honest there. "I kinda to want him to have a job, but the kind of job he has doesn't matter. I mean, I wouldn't even care if he was a janitor!"

"That's what I was hoping for. Will he be as strong as Malakhai?"

"He better be." Yeah, yeah, I know. I was being picky right here, but what did you expect? Short men need love, too… but they gotta have the muscle. They don't have to be super muscular like Malakhai. They just have to be good enough to make my pussy go insane along with his personality. "Seriously, though, I just want him to be strong both physically and emotionally."

"Oh, okay. I wanna help you find him."

"Really?" That's a first. Don's never asked to help me find a boyfriend before and Anthony's kinda rubbin' it in his face right now.

"I have a Compatibility Scanner in my tail. I've already locked in everything you said into my preference database. When the perfect man you're looking for is in our sights, my tail will vibrate and I'll make sure it's against your body somehow, so you can feel it." Huh! Shaundo never ceases to amaze me with this technology he placed in that one robotic tail. And it'll save me the trouble of finding one wrong man after another.

Those last eight minutes went by slowly, but we finally made it back to Tokyo. On my way towards the terminal, a sweet elderly man volunteered to help me carry Shaundo's arms towards my cab while I carried my luggage with Anthony dragging my sturdy duffle bag by his tail, which was turned into the same kind of claw you see in a crane game, except it was thicker in its appearance. After packing our stuff in the trunk of the cab, the same old Japanese man handed me the arms and Anthony and I got in before I commanded the driver to send me to a place called Bronzoi Plaza. It was a basically a special place to bronze anything you want and turn it into a trophy you can be proud of. That had to be done first before anything else.

After the silent fifteen minute ride, we finally made it to our destination. I told the driver to wait right there while I take this five minute process. That's the cool part about this particular place. They bronze practically everything in no time! Having Shaundo's arms made into a memorable trophy will be something worth bragging about all over the campus as well as the Glade when I reunite with them after my graduation. When I got inside, there was only two pretty tall men standing at the counter, but I immediately got dry down there by the time I approached them. Anthony sensed this and nodded in understanding as he was resting… well… you guessed it. Between my boobs. He's back to that old routine again, but this time, it's just for good looks. Even my body knew I wasn't aiming for anymore tall men at this time. Personally, I do still like tall men in general, but since my heart is seeking someone shorter than me, well… you get it.

"Well, well, well…" Started the shaggy haired American in a country voice. He didn't sound anywhere near Shaundo, but it was still close enough to make me smile. "…ya don't see too many cuties like you waltzin' on in here. How ya doin', ma'am?"

"I'm doing good, thank you." I replied politely as I gently placed Shaundo's arms on the counter, astonishing both men as the other one spoke.

"Whoa!" Exclaimed the seemingly younger Caucasian man in a normal male voice just right for someone in his mid-twenties. "Those are some kick-ass arms. Where did ya get 'em?

"These are the arms of Shaundo Wellason." I replied in a deeper expert tone of my voice this time, instantly giving those two men the message.

"Oh, SHIT! You're Ibuki, right? You were the one who stopped that bad-ass Tanuki Kicker gang with Shaundo and his son, right?"

"Yeah… and this is Anthony, one of the American Tanukis who helped me out. His name was Miracle, but I decided to change it back to the name he had before. But, he'll take whatever you prefer. Right, Anthony?" I felt him nod against my chest as his response.

"Wow! It's good to have you back, Ibuki. We'll have these arms bronzed for ya in no time. You wanna give it a proper title?"

"I wrote it down right here during the flight." I pulled out a folded-up sheet of paper and handed it to the country man, who took it without opening it and headed to the back with his partner, who carried those sacred arms carefully. As for me, I took a seat in the lobby and just decided to mourn Shaundo's death again, due to the tears just starting to stream down my face like a pair of waterfalls while I leaned my head back in agony. Anthony felt his and wasted not even one second to try to soothe me by nuzzling his soft head underneath my chin. I held him with my right hand as a response to that feeling and kinda nuzzled him right back.

"It's gonna be okay, Ibuki." Anthony started sweetly, making me slightly smile and trust me. 'Slightly' is putting it nicely at the moment. "I know you're still happy that you're home."

"Deep down, yeah." I admitted as I wiped away my tears with a handkerchief I just happened to have in my left jean pocket. "It's just hard to believe that it's nearly been a whole day since he died. I know he's just relieved to finally be reunited with his wife up in Heaven. They're both watching over us. I know it."

"Even Malakhai and Don."

"Yeah, even them." We pretty much ended our conversation right there as we continued to silently pray for Shaundo and his wife. It was already past only three minutes since we arrived and, right at just two of them to spare until those two guys were done with Shaundo's arms, another customer walked in a four foot tall stuffed animal, a sitting white tiger to be exact. He was at a height of three feet and seven inches with muscles that were very impressive for a man at his height in his Caucasian skin. His golden brown hair was styled in a thick ponytail in that same topknot style as me, but without any bangs in the front. I couldn't get a good look at his eyes, though, because he was wearing sunglasses. He somehow knew that the only two employees of this building were busy, so he took a seat right next to me on my left by a cute little climb up to the chair. Now that sight… made my kitty cat drool with anticipation, but I kept it to myself as I spoke. "Hey."

"Hi." He greeted back to me in an amazingly cute male voice, sounding younger than he looks. "Aren't you Ibuki?" Ooooh, he even sounded like he's smart.

"Yeah. What's your name?" Already… I'm starting to get to know this guy. I heard Anthony's tail working on the Compatibility Scanner. He didn't look outta the ordinary either as this conversation continued.

"The name's Davonté Rysvelt…" He paused as he lifted up his sunglasses and that made my heart skip a beat. His eyes were at the same golden brown tone as his hair. "…and I'm actually an Asian American. My Dad's Japanese while my Mom is the American." Holy shit… what the fuck is my pussy doing right now? It's throbbing like crazy, but I hung in there. Even Anthony's tail gave me the approval by a light vibration under my right breast. He's the perfect short man I've been looking for. "I've heard about you from all over the city… how you really kicked those fuckers' asses with Miracle's help. Is that him in your tank top?"

"…uh, yeah." I snapped outta my reverie as I continued, looking as normal as possible. "I legally changed his name back to Anthony right after Shaundo passed away. He died with dignity and without shame."

"I can imagine. Hope you don't mind me asking… how did he die?" And that's when our conversation began. I started explaining the whole battle to Davonté and he was moved by the story. We even cried a few times and allowed me to cuddle with his life-sized stuffed animal for a while for added comfort. Anthony got comfortable around this cute guy and gave him a chance to feel his silky, luxurious hair by the time he landed on his lap after a graceful leap. Soon after, we started talking about each other personally… shared our likes, dislikes, childhoods, hobbies, and everything in between. All of this happened in a matter of three minutes before those two tall men came back out with something huge being rolled in on a cart while it was covered in a white cloth. I stood up while handing the tiger back to Davonté, who watched with curiosity as the country man spoke.

"Ready ta see yo' trophy fo' being a heroine?" He asked me with so much superiority in his voice. I nodded in response right at the exact moment Anthony flew back up to my left shoulder and sat there like a good boy as usual. "Alrighty! Here it is!" He pulled off the cloth and what I saw was just absolutely astonishing! Both of Shaundo's arms were in pure gold instead of bronze and they looked like they were fists of fury pointing straight as their target mounted above the pure oak wooded stand. And the title of it was perfectly engraved on that stand:

Papa Shaundo Michael Wellason –

A Father of Many Hearts

It really did look like a trophy worth keeping forever and I was crying tears of joy as I just admired it from where I stood, not even trying to wipe them away for a second. Anthony felt the same way, due to the fact that I felt his ice cold tears drop on my bare shoulder.

"Looks like ya love it, sweetheart." The country bumkin pointed out with a smile. "Is made exactly how ya like it?"

"…it… it's perfect." I managed to say through the tears. "I am gonna cherish this forever! Thank you so much!"

"Our pleasure, ma'am. Since this is more a dedication trophy, I'll make it free of charge fo' ya. Sound good?" Awww! Thoughtful!

"Sure, that'll be great!" I approached my prized trophy and admired it for a while. It was just a magnificent sight to see and I never, ever want to trade it for ANYTHING! While Anthony and I were just taking it in, the same country-accent man approached Davonté and he happily took the same stuffed tiger I've hugged before and that puzzled me as he walked by. "Wait! What are you doing with Davonté's tiger?"

"He's been wantin' dis cute lil' thing bronzed for a while now. Dis was given to him by his deceased fiancé, Kaytlin Florence. It means so much to 'im, ya know." Oh, no… now Davonté never told me this during our conversation. I looked over at him with absolute shock as he explained it.

"I was just about to tell you about her when that guy came out with your impressive memorial." He confessed with no regrets. I approached him and kneeled down to meet at his face as he continued, having Anthony make his way to the tile floor and sit there with utmost attention. "I was engaged to that beautiful woman and we were set to get married before Christmas, but a jealous ex of hers along with his gang of five other men just… broke in while I was out of town for important business with my job as President and CEO of the Boundless Animal Care Institute and on my way back home after just landing back here from Washington, D.C., I received a call from a nurse saying that Kaytlin died of multiple gun shots to her face and chest. I was heartbroken, Ibuki." And I thought I've been through more Hell with MY ex. I placed a reassuring hand on his right shoulder after that was said and I immediately felt his pain.

"Awww, I'm so sorry to hear that." I said with all the sorrow in my voice. "It's no wonder you told me about her and how happy she was. Was she good to you, despite the fact that she was British?"

"More than ever, yeah. She was basically an angel sent from above. I thought NOTHING could happen to her, but… well… life can be unpredictable."

"And this happened during the summer?"

"Yeah. Seems like a long time to wait to get married, huh?"

"Yeah, that's true, but that doesn't matter. I guess that tiger will be a sacred trophy to keep forever, just like mine."

"And I'll never give it up. In fact, I can't, even if I could." Huh? "Kaytlin was cremated and her ashes are in a small metal box sewed inside that tiger. That way, her spirit can live on with me forever when I start over." Awwww, that's so sweet. Her ashes are inside that tiger and those two dudes probably don't even know it right now. I've never heard of that before. "Now, about your ex, what happened to him?" Well, I have two now, so I gotta mention that first.

"Just so you know, I have two exes."

"Two, huh? Tell me about them." And I did as best I could. Explaining Ryan to him was painful, due to the fact that Don had to be the one to tell me that he left me and not him. Then, I told him about Malakhai and I was swooning the whole time. This made Davonté laugh by the time we were back in our respective chairs, continuing the conversation. "You invented new moves with him, eh?"

"Tee-hee… yeah. I somehow gained a thrill of getting spanked, too. It just turns me on, ya know."

"Now, I've never met a woman like you before. Do you still love Malakhai?"

"I like him as a friend now. I promised him that I wouldn't be his girlfriend anymore by the end of Shaundo's funeral and I kept my word." At that last word I said, we finally gained feelings for each other, since we were both lonely now. We shared so much in common and he even thinks that having me being a ninja is the coolest thing in the world. We both gave each other dark looks of desire within our eyes and knew what we were thinking. "You like me, don't you?"

"I can't say no to that question. I kinda like the idea of spanking you for pleasure. My height doesn't bother you, does it?" That's a rhetorical question right there, but eh… I answered it anyway.

"Hell, no." I paused as I started to gently lay a hand on his crotch and he shivered slightly to the touch. Damn, he's rock hard. "We share so much in common and there's no way I would give you up. I'm here to stay, baby."

"Ooooh, yeah. I can tell you're gonna be a handful. Let's call this a fresh REstart, okay?"

"Fine by me, Davonté. Mmm…" I had to say this: "…saying your name in bed is gonna make my pussy explode without you even trying." Davonté chuckled his sexiest at that statement and snuck a hand towards my crotch and I got wet instantly at that touch. Shit! My kitty's just pulsating like a bitch right now!

"Heh, heh… I can tell. You're already wetter than a dog after a bath. How about a date tonight? On me?"

"You got it. Just…" I gently pushed his hand away at the exact same time I moved mine from him. "…give me about three hours to settle in, okay? I just got here."

"Take as long as you need, my sexy ninja queen. I'm a patient man." Such a charmer, just like Malakhai. He even used that same baby name as well. He knows exactly what to say to women. I love it!

"Thank you, Davonté. I'll call you when I'm ready." We exchanged cell phone numbers before he kissed my hand with respect. "I won't disappoint you."

"I know you won't."

Within the first two hours after that, I was officially settled in, back in my dorm room. It never changed since I left and Anthony immediately got comfortable on my purple bean bag chair as I gently placed my trophy on the only empty coffee table I had. Despite its appearance, it was actually pretty light. Then, I made my way to my bed, sat down on the edge, and opened up this rolled up sheet of paper the Dean gave me on my way up here. It was a notice that informed me that Graduation's gonna come early for me, since they knew that I died at one point during the mission. I deserved it. It's gonna happen this Sunday coming up at 3 PM sharp. I have a feeling it's gonna be more of a lengthy dedication ceremony than a graduation. Either way, it's gonna be the best day of my life… well, other than the day I died and came back, thanks to both Anthony's quick thinking and RaiKhana's belief in me. After a good five minutes of reading, Anthony started out the conversation.

"You know you're about to date a President and CEO, right?" He asked me with humor in his cute voice. I nodded in response right when I safely placed away my Graduation notice in my nightstand.

"I know that and that's a big plus in my book." I replied with joy. "He's an animal lover that runs a business holding nothing but disabled animals and placing them up for adoption in a no-kill zone. That's someone Shaundo would be proud to see me with, aside from Malakhai."

"Describe 'disabled'." Is he serious right now? He's the prime example of what 'disabled' is right now. I never replied to that statement and just gave him a look that said 'Look at yourself, dude!' and he read it perfectly, due to his embarrassed face as he chuckled nervously. "…oh."

"Yeah, no need to explain. Anyway, this date's gonna be awesome. I have tons of questions about his business, speakin' of. I'll bet it's a huge success, even after Kaytlyn passed away."

"He's keeping his spirit alive, even though half of it is gone…"

"…and permanently encased in a bronzed stuffed tiger." Right after I said this, my cell phone rang and I saw that it was Davonté. He's, uh… he's hungry for me, ain't he? "Hey, Davonté." Oooooh, wee! That small rhyme sounded so hot, especially since I said it seductively. "You couldn't wait another 45 minutes for me, huh?"

"Heh, heh… can't help it." He admitted from the other line. It was a split-screen conversation. "Besides, I know you're starving for me, too." Heh… yeah. I had to change my panties and shorts right at the thought of the idea when I first stepped foot in my dorm.

"You read me like a book, baby."

"I knew it. So, are you ready for our date? I know you have so many questions about my business since I mentioned its title."

"Yeah. Can I ask you one now, so we can reach the climax of the conversation early when we get there?"

"Of course. Ask away."

"What kind of disabled animals are you raising?"

"Mostly dogs and cats, but I also harbor in some birds, reptiles, and ferrets… mostly ferrets. They're my favorite animals."

"Awww, that's so sweet. I'm ready when you are."

"Good. I'll be in the parking lot of your college in twenty minutes. Look for a car that's as blue as your little miracle's eyes." Oh, my God. You have no idea how much that touched my heart just now. "Speaking of little miracles, I have one I'd like to show you myself. She's a handful, despite her disability, but trust me, when you see her, you'll love her." Uh, oh. It's a female and I know Anthony's got his sanity in check already, just in case she's a tanuki.

Twenty minutes later, I was dressed in my purple tank top with matching jean shorts, socks, and sneakers as I made my way towards Davonté cool blue luxury sedan. He was dressed in a black leather vest with black baggy jeans, which showed the white band to his boxers. Damn! Those pants are just begging to come off and his muscles… wow. He's in excellent shape for someone at his height. Anthony hovered next to me on my left with his famous propeller and he didn't waste any time asking my new boyfriend this fateful question:

"What's your miracle?"

"You'll see when we get to our destination. I've kindly asked the staff of the bar to keep her company until we got there." Davonté replied matter-of-factly. We're going to a bar, huh? I hope there's a VIP somewhere. "All I can tell you both for now is that her name is Mydnyght, with a Y replacing each I." Aww, cool name. "She's a very rare sight and you'll soon see why. In the meantime, get in." We did so and I noticed that he had extended petals in this car and that was just amazing to see.

"You got his car custom made, right?" I started our conversation peacefully right when he pulled off.

"Just for me, yeah." Davonté replied, keeping those regal eyes on the road. "Don't you have a car?"

"Yeah, that i8 that's in the parking lot back at Sarusuberi. It was Shaundo's car, but since he had those arms, he couldn't drive it anymore and decided to give it to me."

"That's very generous of him. I do feel bad that he had to die for his city of Atlanta."

"Like I said, he died with dignity. Anyway, about Mydnyght, what kind of animal is she?"

"I guess I can share that information as well. She's a Black-Footed Ferret, but with a rare genetic pigment that was developed entirely by mistake, due to her Mother's diet when she was pregnant. Once you see her, I'll tell you everything you need to know about her." I can't wait. She sounds like she could be fun to be around. Ferrets are curious creatures… and cute, too.

Ten minutes of a ride later, we finally arrived at Tiger's Cove Bar and Grill and it was just hustling and bustling with people. An empty table was visible through the crowd and we gently pushed our way through, having Anthony kinda cheat his way through by flying right over their heads and landing on that very same table. It had a cute little candle in the middle of it and already, the atmosphere was perfect. I took my seat with ease, but Davonté… heh, heh… he had to climb into his seat again. Fortunately, he was tall enough to reach the table top without the use of a booster seat. When we were fully settled, a waitress greeted us and offered two sodas for us and our menus. When she was gone, a waiter came up to us with a plastic pet carrier that was at the size to carry a Maine Coon cat. Anthony sat right in front of it with curiosity while Davonté started his story about Mydnyght.

"Now, before I let her out, I should tell you more about her." He started. "She's 2 years old and at the size of a Wombat, but five feet long. So, carrying her is pretty fun for me. She's literally the visible representation of having no boundaries. Are you ready to see her?"

"Yep! Been ready!" I replied as he opened the lock to the cage and Anthony was shocked to see a pair of baby blue eyes glow in the darkness of the cage. After thirty seconds, Mydnyght slowly _slithered_ out and that shocked both of us! She… she was legless and as pitch black as the dark itself. Unbelievable!

"Ibuki, meet Mydnyght, the World's First and Only Legless Black Ferret." I've never seen that before and she was just happy as ever, despite not having legs. She's a big girl, too… at the size of a wombat alright! Yikes. "There is a very reasonable explanation to her appearance. First, her fur color: it turned out that during her Mom's pregnancy, she accidently ate three cocoa beans. That resulted in killing Mydnyght's seven other siblings and tinting this black color all over her body instead of just her legs. Then, a year and three weeks later after her first birthday, a late reaction to the cocoa beans kicked in and she developed a dangerous stage of lung cancer, but somehow, she grew one grapefruit-sized tumor on each of her four legs, completely disabling her ability to walk. So, the only option was for all four of those legs to be amputated. She made it through and she's makes being a legless mammal look easy." Huh! No kidding! "Also, she learned how to slither from an education video on snakes I allowed her to watch, mastered the maneuvers two days after viewing it. Prosthetic legs was an option after the surgery, but she viciously snarled at the surgeons as her way of refusing them." Wow. She's adorable. That story was hard to take in emotionally, but seeing that she's full of energy and joy, it just made me and Anthony smile. We calmed down by the time the waitress from before came back and took our orders before heading back to the kitchen. "Anyway, so… what do you think of her?"

"She's beautiful." I commented as she slithered a little closer to me, so I could pet her between her rounded ears, making her purr deeply as I continued. "I kinda feel bad for her, though. She really is a living miracle, just like Anthony."

"She's just a rare sight to see for everyone. Taking care of her is hard, though. For one thing, feeding her is a struggle because, due to her massive weight and weakness in her spine, she's unable to eat out of a bowl. I'll have to purée her meals and have her either sip it through a straw or I have to feed it to her as if it was baby food." Awww, the poor girl. I finally had my chance to pick her up and hug her with all the love in the world, making Davonté watch with pride in his eyes. "I'm so glad you like her already. Looks like she's warming up to you as well. She does get rather shy sometimes."

"Awww, it's okay. I'm a good friend, okay? I'm a ninja, too. So, I'll be able to protect you." Mydnyght nodded in response before she snuggled her head under my chin as her 'hug'. Looks like she can understand human speech perfectly as well. "Dawww! She's so sweet."

"That's what I love about her the most. She knows she has no legs, but she never lets that stop her from being herself. She's an inspiration to all of us." Just like Anthony. They sure do share a lot in common, except their species and disabilities, of course. "Since we're officially a couple now, can I count on you to care for her in my absence every now and then?" Absolutely!

"Sure, I'd love to! She's actually fun to cuddle with." Mydnyght squealed in agreement and that made me giggle before I gently settled her back down right at the very moment our food was finally being served. Anthony immediately gathered his courage and placed his propeller in assistance mode by gently picking up Mydnyght by her sides and setting her down on the soft red carpet floor. They both just watched us from then on. "I love your job."

"Thank you. I never waste a moment with these seemingly helpless animals. I love what I do."

"I'll bet." We were silent after I said that and just enjoyed our dinner in peace. I've pretty much learned everything I needed to know about this animal angel. His heart is bigger than his body and that's what turns me on the most. I kept a horny smirk on my face to prove that theory as we took our sweet time eating. Davonté gave me one right back at me, making those glowing golden brown eyes look so sinister to me. He was ready to make me his woman anytime.

In fact, after our dinner, we headed for a secluded room in the very back of the bar and the elderly female owner of the place allowed us inside, since Davonté told her why we were going in. Anthony even agreed to take care of Mydnyght with her while we were… heh, heh… _busy. _

The room didn't have much. Just a few chairs and a sofa fit for a king. Of course, we headed for the black sofa and I allowed Davonté to climb up there first while I already slipped outta my tank top and shorts. I was now dressed in just my purple bra and matching panties and I stood before him with no sign of shyness whatsoever. I was so ready for him. Those regal eyes were scanning me as I just stared at him with my horny glare while he stood up on the couch and slipped off his vest, showing off those extremely impressive muscles of a man at his height of three feet and seven inches, making him look adorable to me.

"Beautiful." Davonté sighed while I was mentally trying to pull his pants down. Shit! They were just calling out to me to take them off for real! "Just beautiful. I can see why Malakhai drooled over you before you left him. Were you a virgin when you met him?"

"Nope!" I replied with confidence.

"Figures. It's no wonder. Now, since our heights are as different as night and day, there is only one rule we must follow when it comes to these moments: I'll have to be on top every… single… time." Hey, that's cool. As long as we get a good smack down before we get to the good shit. "Is that okay with you, Ibuki?"

"Yeah… perfect, actually. I've always had a fantasy where a short man always has the upper hand and can do whatever the hell he wants to do to me, as long as he loves me for who I am."

"I see. First thing's first, then. I wanna see what the spanking's all about, since you invented it. Does it hurt you?" I never responded to that question verbally. I just made a sexy, casual walk towards him and he immediately sat down by the time I prepared myself to crawl over him from his left. I laid down on top of his lap with my ass right below his face and he was wide eyed as he transfixed his focus on it, seeing how big it actually was. "Whoa… I guess I'll have to find out for myself, then." He then started to give my booty an exotic massage that just made me let out a moan that was harmonic to both of our ears while I hugged a pillow I just happened to find, practically squeezing the life out of it… if it had a life, that is. I can tell he was enjoying it, especially since I kinda felt his erection right at my pussy. Ooooooh… he's getting harder and harder by the second and I had the urge to hump him a little bit, but I fought it as he continued his massage for another two minutes before he gave me a pretty weak smack. That was very disappointing and I gave him a dark look of dissatisfaction to prove it to him. He read it perfectly and never said a word as he tried again even harder than before. Still, it wasn't enough. C'mon, man! You got all that muscle! Use it, damn it! Davonté must've felt my disenchantment again and tried one more time.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! FUCK! There ya go, baby! That's how I like it!" That was at the very top of my lungs, too! I was squirming with pleasure erupting all through my slender body and this made Davonté laugh before he spoke.

"Wow. You're a genius! This is kinda sexy. I'm… guessing it doesn't hurt, then." He pointed out as he was aimlessly giving me multiple smacks that were hard enough, but not too hard to the point where I went numb after each one. "Then again, you're a ninja. So, you're usually impervious to pain." I'm impressed that he knows that. I looked over at him and managed to nod in agreement, even though I was panting like a dog. "Hope you don't mind my fantasy, since you shared yours." What? He has one, too? I'd love to hear it. "May I?"

"Uh, huh." I replied in my cutest seductive tone since my return here. He didn't explain his darkest desire. He went right on ahead and gave me a demonstration. He stopped the small spankings and used those muscles to gently flip me over, having me lying on my back. He allowed me to sit back against the armrest behind me as I watched him with curiosity written all over my glowing brown eyes. He never gave me eye contact as he did the following in sequence and all in a matter of just twenty seconds from start to finish:

Slowly pulled off my wet panties…

Tossed them to his left to nowhere in particular…

Smiled at my smooth and moist kitty cat…

And took his ohhhh, sooooo sweet time lashing at it all nice and slow with his horny tongue.

I… went… insane! He was so good at it and I couldn't even close my legs. Davonté held them open with all his might and I had no choice but to take it all in like a real woman. I was violently writhing and squirming all under him and I even grinded into his mouth a few times for more pleasure and HOLY SHIZZNIT! I sat up fast as I felt one orgasm explode all over me and I was shaking like a frightened child. His desire… is delicious! Nothing but pure instinct took over me as I desperately held him closer to me and he instantly made it even better by engulfing my pussy all into his mouth and I felt his tongue swirling all around my vag! Aaaaah… aaaaah… oooooooh! Don't stop, baby. This just as hot of a desire as mine.

This scene went on for the next five minutes until I finally made an ear-splitting scream towards the ceiling with my eyes shut tight and tears of extreme pleasure oozing outta them like waterfalls… all while I was still holding Davonté closer to my squirting pussy! I was fillin' up this man and he never moved away the entire time! I lasted for a good three minutes before I finally fell back on the couch with fatigue and all we heard was my heavy breathing. I kept my focus on the ceiling as I silently celebrated this moment for a few seconds before he approached me from my right and I looked over at him, seeing a handsome smile on his face. He had the kind of smile that showed love, affection, and honor all at once, looking absolutely adorable.

"Looks like you enjoyed my deepest desire as much as I enjoyed yours." He started as he started to stroke my cheek with all the love in the world, keeping that adorable regal smile. "Are you okay?"

"…yeah… yeah, I'm alright." I replied through my heavy breathing, showing him a cute smile of my own. "I… kinda knew that would be your darkest desire, since you're pretty short."

"Glad you noticed. You tasted sweet." Awww, thankies! I knew I would. Heh, heh… I'm not THAT self-centered, but… ya know… "Now, do you want my dick inside you or would you rather take it into your mouth?" I'm wondering how the latter would work out.

"Dude, after feeling your tongue inside me, you know I gotta have your dick. I'll bet it's huge for a man at your size." I regained my energy to one-hundred percent by the time I said that last word and managed to sit up, seeing that he was dressed in his boxers. He showed a look of confidence as he proved his manhood by letting those blue boxers fall to his feet before he kicked them as hard as he could with his right foot… all while he kept his eyes on mine. I, on the other hand, had my sight transfixed on what I expected. It was practically a third leg! Goddamn! "…whoa."

"You like what you see, huh?" He was just standing there like he was still dressed, which kinda turned me on even more.

"I sure do. I didn't even notice it when you had your boxers on. How do you hide it like that?"

"Heh, heh… my little secret. Now, shall we?"

After that was said, Davonté climbed back up on the couch before slipping on a condom and, as soon as I finally took off my bra, he took a firm hold of my love handles as I sat up straight this time and took his time sliding into my wet pussy with ease. Holy fuck, he's huge! All I could do was watch him, which is unusual, I know, but with a man looking this cute, I just can't help it. Even with all the moans, groans, and sensual calls of his name, I was still able to keep my sanity in check while I just sat there and admired him. He looked up at me with a smile that was, once again, hard to look away from.

This scene went on for the next thirty minutes, having spent every five of those minutes riding through three orgasms simultaneously. Damn, he's too good. Despite this deep moment we were in, I never let the entire adventure I shared with Anthony, Malakhai, and Shaundo leave my mind. Along with the trophy I got, those memories were to be locked away forever. Now that I found a new soul mate to share even more travels with, this was a fresh restart for us indeed.

After that was finalized, I graduated with top honors in both education and ninja training, which is completed and I don't have to do anymore. I've become a grandmaster just in time, especially after meeting cute lil' Mydnyght. Davonté's taking good care of her and she's just so full of pride, love, energy, and just boundless spirit. The fact that she has no legs does remain in her memory, but something about her just sparks both Anthony and I.

I have a feeling that I might have another 'Miracle' in my hands… and even Anthony himself is starting to feel more that just respect for her. For now, though, while we're living with Davonté, we're living the good life and we are never, ever forgetting everything we've been through together.

The End

(Finally finished, but this was really fun to write. Hopefully, you've enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please do review and let me know what you think.)


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